Microstructural Evolution and Tensile Testing of a Bi–Sn (57/43) Alloy Processed by Tube High-Pressure Shearing

Tube high-pressure shearing (t-HPS) processing was performed on a eutectic Bi–Sn (57/43) alloy for 0.25, 1, 5 and 20 turns. The selected samples were stored at room temperature for up to 56 days to examine the strain weakening and self-annealing behavior of the alloy. The results showed that t-HPS processing gradually refined the microstructure and led to decreasing of microhardness, but microhardness increased slowly during the subsequent storage at room temperature. Shear localization of the eutectic structure during t-HPS processing was observed as large amounts of narrow dense lamellar zones were visible in the deformed microstructures. The Bi–Sn (57/43) alloy processed by t-HPS exhibited significantly enhanced superplastic properties with elongations up to >1800% in a sample after t-HPS processing for 20 turns. This high elongation is attributed to the breaking of the lamellar structure and the very small grain size.

Dislocation-Controlled Low-Temperature Superplastic Deformation of Ti-6Al-4V Alloy

The superplastic tension and deformation mechanism of Ti-6Al-4V alloy at 923 K and a tensile speed of 10−3, 5 × 10−3, or 5 × 10−2 s−1 was studied on an AG 250KNE electronic tension tester. Through theoretical modeling, the unit dislocation count of this alloy during superplastic deformation was introduced into the Ruano–Wadsworth–Sherby (R-W-S) deformation mechanism map, and a new deformation mechanism map involving dislocation count was plotted. Thereby, the mechanism underling the low-temperature superplastic deformation of this alloy was predicted. It was found the superplastic tension of Ti-6Al-4V at the tested temperature was controlled by dislocation movement, and with an increase in strain rate, the deformation transited from the dislocation-controlled mechanism with a stress index of 4 to the dislocation glide mechanism with a stress index of 5 or 7. At the strain rate of 10−3 s−1, this alloy reached the largest tension rate of 790% and strain rate sensitivity index of 0.52 and had excellent low-temperature superplastic properties.

Superplastic Deformation of Al–Cu Alloys after Grain Refinement by Extrusion Combined with Reversible Torsion

The binary as-cast Al–Cu alloys Al-5%Cu, Al-25%Cu, and Al-33%Cu (in wt %), composed of the intermetallic θ-Al2Cu and α-Al phases, were prepared from pure components and were subsequently severely plastically deformed by extrusion combined with reversible torsion (KoBo) to refinement of α-Al and Al2Cu phases. The extrusion combined with reversible torsion was carried out using extrusion coefficients of λ = 30 and λ = 98. KoBo applied to the Al–Cu alloys with different initial structures (differences in fraction and phase size) allowed us to obtain for alloys (Al-25%Cu and Al-33%Cu), with higher value of intermetallic phase, large elongations in the range of 830–1100% after tensile tests at the temperature of 400 °C with the strain rate of 10−4 s−1. The value of elongation depended on extrusion coefficient and increase, with λ increasing as a result of α-Al and Al2Cu phase refinement to about 200–400 nm. Deformation at the temperature of 300 °C, independently of the extrusion coefficient (λ), did not ensure superplastic properties of the analyzed alloys. A microstructural study showed that the mechanism of grain boundary sliding was responsible for superplastic deformation.

Comparison of Technological Properties of Sheet Titanium Alloys VT6 and VST2k

The manuscript considers microstructure, mechanical and processing properties (formability and solid state weldability) of sheet titanium alloy VT6(Ti-6Al-4V) with improved superplastic properties production of JSC «VSMPO-AVISMA Corporation" for the process of superplastic forming at low temperatures and new experimental cheaper sheet titanium alloy VST2k. Complex studies of microstructure, mechanical properties, formability and weldability in the solid state of these titanium alloys were carried out. Studies have shown that both alloys in the temperature range 750-850oC have good weldability in the solid state and exhibit good superplastic properties. Technological properties of the alloy VST2k almost as good as the properties of the alloy VT6. This makes it possible to recommend the sheet alloy VST2k along with the alloy VT6 for the manufacture of hollow structures by SPF/DB in low-temperature superplasticity.

Superplastic Behaviour of Ti54M and Ti64

Even though TIMETAL-54M (Ti-5Al-4V-0.6Mo-0.4Fe or Ti54M) has been commercially available for over 10 years, further study of its superplastic properties is still required in order to assess its applicability within the aerospace industry as a potential replacement for other commercial titanium alloys such as Ti-6Al-4V (Ti64). Ti54M is expected to obtain superplastic characteristics at a lower temperature than Ti64 due to its lower beta-transus temperature. The superplastic forming (SPF) capability of alloys that can be formed at lower temperatures has always attracted the interest of industry as it reduces the grain growth and alpha-case formation, leading to longer life for costly high temperature resistant forming tools. In this work, the SPF characteristics of both Ti54M and Ti64 have been examined by conducting tensile tests according to the ASTM E2448 standard within a range of temperatures and strain values at a fixed strain rate of 1 × 10-4/S. A high strain rate sensitivity and uniform deformation at high strains are key indicators in selecting the optimum superplastic temperature. This was observed at 815˚C and 925˚C for Ti54M and Ti64 respectively. The tensile samples were water quenched to freeze their respective microstructure evolution following superplastic deformation and SEM images were captured for grain size and volume fraction of alpha-phase analyses. A slightly higher alpha-grain growth rate was observed during superplastic deformation of Ti64. The initial fine-grain microstructure of Ti54M (~1.6 micron) resulted in a final microstructure with an average grain size of ~3.4 micron and optimum the alpha/beta ratio. Both the fine-grained microstructure and increased amount of beta-volume fraction promotes the superplastic behaviour of Ti54M by grain boundary sliding (GBS). Thus superplastic properties were observed for Ti54M at a lower temperature (~100˚C) than for Ti64.