ABSTRACTIn this work, the recent breakthroughs in the understanding of the fracture behavior and fracture toughness of L12-ordered titanium trialuminides are described and discussed. First, it is shown that, as opposed to many other intermetallics and specifically those with an L12 crystal structure, the fracture toughness of L12 titanium trialuminides is insensitive to testing in various environments such as air, water, argon, oxygen and vacuum (∼1.3×10–5 Pa). Second, it is reported here that by increasing the concentration of Ti combined with boron (B) doping, the room temperature fracture toughness of a Mn-stabilized titanium trialuminide can be improved by 100% from ∼4 MPam1/2 to ∼8 MPam1/2 and by 150–250% at 1000°C to ∼(10–12) MPam1/2 with a simultaneous suppression of intergranular fracture (IGF) to ∼(40–50%). Almost three fold increase in yield strength to ∼550 MPa is attained at room temperature for high Ti, boron-doped trialuminides. Both Vickers microhardness and strength increase linearly with increasing concentration of (Ti+B) indicating a classical solid solution strengthening response.
Effect of Microstructural Continuity on Room-Temperature Fracture Toughness of ZrC-Added Mo–Si–B Alloys
