Influence of the Ageing Temperature on the Selected Mechanical Properties of the Ti6Al7Nb Alloy
The results of investigations of the influence of the ageing temperature on the selected mechanical properties i.e. hardness, fracture toughness (examined by the linear elastic fracture mechanics - KIctest) and impact strength (KV) of two-phase Ti6Al7Nb alloy, are presented in the hereby paper. Investigations were performed in the ageing temperatures range: 450÷650°C of the alloy previously undercooled from the selected heating temperature (in two-phase range) - equal 970°C. The heating temperature was determined on the basis of the dilatometric curve of the alloy heating in the system ΔL = f ((T), where: ΔL – change of the sample length, T – temperature, which was then differentiated in the system: ΔL/ΔT = f (T). The dilatometer L78 R.I.T.A of the LINSEIS Company was used in the tests. Investigations of the alloy microstructure in the ageing temperatures range 450÷650°C were carried out by means of the light microscope Axiovert 200 MAT of the Carl Zeiss Company. It was found that nearly equiaxial grains of the primary α phase occur in the microstructure (of the volume fraction app. 30%) and that the volume fraction of the new lamellar α phase - formed from the supersaturated β phase - increases. With an increase of the alloy ageing temperature, in the mentioned above range, a small increase of its hardness from 305 to 324HV as well as a decrease of stress intensity factor KIcfrom 67.3 to 48.6 MPa x m1/2and impact strength (KV) from 40.2 to 31.3 J. The impact tests results were supplemented by the fractographic documentation. It was found, that the characteristic features of the fractures of impact test samples do not exhibit essential differences in dependence of the ageing temperature and material hardness. The fractographic investigations were performed by means of the scanning electron microscope NovaNanoSEM 450.