Beta-C Titanium Alloy Revisited

Beta-C, Ti-3Al-8V-6Cr-4Mo-4Zr, was developed in the late 1960’s to fill aerospace industry need for a metastable beta titanium alloy with reduced freezing segregation tendency in comparison to the Ti-13V-11Cr-3Al alloy. Beta-C allows high strength in heavy sections to be consistently achieved, provides attractive second-tier properties such as fracture toughness and fatigue, and possesses good production capability for bar and rod products that can be used for spring and fastener applications. In the early 1980’s, it was recognized that the high Mo content of Beta-C provides superior corrosion resistance in reducing acids and sour brines compared to conventional Ti alloys, which extended the use of Beta-C applications to oil, gas, and geothermal industries. Significant technical, mill production, and manufacturing experience have been gained in the past 40 years linking laboratory exploration with real world applications. A summation of technical understanding together with opportunities and potential niches for Beta-C will be revisited in this presentation.