Through-scale rheology assessment of Ti alloys

Better understanding of the interrelationships between processing parameters, microstructure evolution and resulting properties in complex microstructures of aerospace titanium alloys will enable production of more near-net-shape components, what will lower the waste of material leading to reduction of the “fly-to-buy” ratios. This will lead to the use of Ti alloys not only in jet engine and landing gear applications but also as structural components. Further aircraft weight reduction that will be achieved, will also be the one of the most efficient ways to reduce aircraft fuel consumption and CO2 footprint.

In the paper, approach to assess rheology of Ti-6246 alloy based on a combination of nanoindentation, micro-scale tensile testing and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) with inverse computer modeling will be presented. Identification of rheology of the primary alpha phase based on the nanoindentation was performed using inverse method based on finite element method computer simulation, whereas the identification of rheology of secondary alpha/beta platelets was done using microscale tensile test combined with Digital Materials Representation (DMR) approach. The advantages and limitations of this approach will be discussed.