Effect of Strain Rate on the Microstructure and β-Texture Evolutions in β-Processed Forging of a Near-β Titanium Alloy

The effect of strain rate on the β texture evolution during two-step hot forging of Ti-6246 alloy was investigated. The two-step forging consisted of 15% or 50% prior-β forging at 980°C and subsequent 60% or 25% forging at 870°C in the (α + β) dual-phase region. The total compression ratio was 75%, and the investigated strain rates were 0.01 and 1.0 s−1. The β forging texture showed typical {001} and {111} body-centered cubic textures. With increasing compression ratio in the (α + β) region and at a strain rate of 0.01 s−1, the amount of precipitated α phase increased. Dynamic recrystallization was rarely observed after forging in the (α + β) region at a strain rate of 0.01 s−1. Large amounts of α precipitates lowered the {001} β texture intensity through slip transmission between the α and β phases under the Burgers orientation relationship. However, in specimens forged at a strain rate of 1.0 s−1, as the compression ratio in the β single-phase region increased, the growth of dynamic-recrystallized β grains was promoted at the prior-β grain boundaries, where α-phase precipitation was not substantial. These effects resulted in a higher {001} texture intensity of the β phase in specimens forged at 1.0 s−1 compared with that of the β phase in specimens forged at 0.01 s−1.