Formation and Thermal Stability of the ω-Phase in Ti-Nb and Ti-Mo Alloys Subjected to HPT.

This paper discusses the features of ω-phase formation and its thermal stability depending on the phase composition, alloying element and the grain size of the initial microstructure of Ti-Nb and Ti-Mo alloys subjected to high-pressure torsion (HPT) deformation. In the case of two-phase Ti-3wt.% Nb and Ti-20wt.% Nb alloys with different volume fractions of α- and ß-phases, a complete ß→ω phase transformation and partial α→ω transformation were found. The dependence of the α→ω transformation on the concentration of the alloying element was determined: the greater content of Nb in the α-phase, the lower the amount of ω-phase that was formed from it. In the case of single-phase Ti-Mo alloys, it was found that the amount of ω-phase formed from the coarse-grained ß-phase of the Ti-18wt.% Mo alloy was less than the amount of the ω-phase formed from the fine α'-martensite of the Ti-2wt.% Mo alloy. This was despite the fact that the ω-phase is easier to form from the ß-phase than from the α- or α'-phase. It is possible that the grain size of the microstructure also affected the phase transformation, namely, the fine martensitic plates more easily gain deformation and overcome the critical shear stresses necessary for the phase transformation. It was also found that the thermal stability of the ω-phase in the Ti-Nb and Ti-Mo alloys increased with the increasing concentration of Nb or Mo.

Jerky Motion of the Reaction Front during Discontinuous Dissolution in a Fe-13.5 at.% Zn Alloy.

This paper studies the go- and -stop movement of a receding reaction front (RF) during a discontinuous dissolution (DD) process. A special simulation procedure was applied for the DD reaction to predict a jerky motion of the RF. The Fe-13.5 at.% Zn alloy was selected in which go- and -stop behaviour was revealed in the form of characteristic lines (called "ghost lines") showing successive positions of receding RF. The results presented for the DD process are quite different from those relevant for the DP reaction at the same Fe-13.5 at.% Zn alloy in terms of go- and -stop motion and movement distance. For the presented case, the go- and -stop periods are relatively long and obtain an order of several dozen seconds, while for the DP reaction, it was only a few seconds. A similar conclusion was formulated after a comparison of the movement distance which, for the DD reaction, is usually longer by 1-2 orders of magnitude. The simulation results of the DD reaction indicate a good agreement with the experimental data presented in the literature for the same dissolution rate. It is necessary to emphasize that the simulation is the only source of data for z parameter changes during the -stop period of the DD reaction.

Cellular Automata Modelling of Discontinuous Precipitation.

The fundamentals of discontinuous precipitation (DP) reaction modelling using a cellular automata (CA) method are presented. In the proposed CA model, cell states, internal variables, equations, and transition rules were defined to predict the manner of mass transport during DP reaction and to relate changes in the microstructure with corresponding changes in chemical composition. Furthermore, the concept of digital material representation (DMR) was introduced into the CA model, which allowed schematic images of the microstructure to be used as starting structures in the modelling of the DP reaction. The preliminary assumptions adopted in the proposed CA model for the DP reaction were verified by numerical simulations of the growth of discontinuous precipitates at a steady-state at the example of Al-22 at.% Zn alloy. The outcomes achieved from the CA simulations were presented in a different form than that most commonly used previously (single concentration profiles), namely as the 2D maps showing changes in Zn content accompanying the successive stages of growth of discontinuous precipitates. The model used for the description of the solute diffusion along of the reaction front (RF) allowed two-dimensional systems at the nano-scale to be treated within a reasonable simulation time. The obtained results indicate that the developed CA model was able to realistically simulate the DP reaction, which was confirmed by the visualisation of migrating RFs together with associated chemical composition changes in the microstructure.

Omega Phase Formation in Ti-3wt.%Nb Alloy Induced by High-Pressure Torsion.

It is well known that severe plastic deformation not only leads to strong grain refinement and material strengthening but also can drive phase transformations. A study of the fundamentals of α → ω phase transformations induced by high-pressure torsion (HPT) in Ti-Nb-based alloys is presented in the current work. Before HPT, a Ti-3wt.%Nb alloy was annealed at two different temperatures in order to obtain the α-phase state with different amounts of niobium. X-ray diffraction analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were applied for the characterisation of phase transitions and evolution of the microstructure. A small amount of the ß-phase was found in the initial states, which completely transformed into the ω-phase during the HPT process. During HPT, strong grain refinement in the α-phase took place, as did partial transformation of the α- into the ω-phase. Therefore, two kinds of ω-phase, each with different chemical composition, were obtained after HPT. The first one was formed from the ß-phase, enriched in Nb, and the second one from the α-phase. It was also found that the transformation of the α-phase into the ω-phase depended on the Nb concentration in the α-Ti phase. The less Nb there was in the α-phase, the more of the α-phase was transformed into the ω-phase.

Discontinuous Dissolution Reaction in a Fe-13.5 at. % Zn Alloy.

The dissolution process of a lamellar structure with α and Γ phases formed during a discontinuous precipitation reaction is investigated here with a Fe-13.5 at. % Zn alloy by means of optical microscopy and scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The α phase is a solute-depleted solid solution and the Γ phase is the intermetallic compound Fe3Zn10. The examination reveals that the dissolution occurs in a discontinuous mode by a receding of the former reaction front of the discontinuous precipitation towards the position of the original grain boundary. A new solid solution in the post-dissolution area is especially inhomogeneous and reflects the former locations of the Γ lamellae ("ghost images") and the receding reaction front ("ghost lines"). A simulation procedure is applied to determine the Zn concentration profiles left in the post-dissolution region. Their shapes are mostly affected by the Zn content at the positions where the Γ lamellae have just been dissolved, which was also confirmed by the quantitative microchemical analysis.

Structural and Mechanical Properties of Ti⁻Co Alloys Treated by High Pressure Torsion.

The microstructure and properties of titanium-based alloys can be tailored using severe plastic deformation. The structure and microhardness of Ti⁻4 wt.% Co alloy have been studied after preliminary annealing and following high pressure torsion (HPT). The Ti⁻4 wt.% Co alloy has been annealed at 400, 500, and 600 °C, i.e., below the temperature of eutectoid transformation in the Ti⁻4 wt.% Co system. The amount of Co dissolved in α-Ti increased with increasing annealing temperature. HPT led to the transformation of α-Ti in ω-Ti. After HPT, the amount of ω-phase in the sample annealed at 400 °C was about 80-85%, i.e., higher than in pure titanium (about 40%). However, with increasing temperature of pre-annealing, the portion of ω-phase decreased (60⁻65% at 500 °C and about 5% at 600 °C). The microhardness of all investigated samples increased with increasing temperature of pre-annealing.

Dissolution of Ag Precipitates in the Cu⁻8wt.%Ag Alloy Deformed by High Pressure Torsion.

The aim of this work was to study the influence of severe plastic deformation (SPD) on the dissolution of silver particles in Cu⁻8wt.%Ag alloys. In order to obtain different morphologies of silver particles, samples were annealed at 400, 500 and 600 °C. Subsequently, the material was subjected to high pressure torsion (HPT) at room temperature. By means of scanning and transmission electron microscopy, as well as X-ray diffraction techniques, it was found that during SPD, the dissolution of second phase was strongly affected by the morphology and volume fraction of the precipitates in the initial state. Small, heterogeneous precipitates of irregular shape dissolved more easily than those of large size, round-shaped and uniform composition. It was also found that HPT led to the increase of solubility limit of silver in the copper matrix as the result of dissolution of the second phase. This unusual phase transition is discussed with respect to diffusion activation energy and mixing enthalpy of the alloying elements.