Enhancement of Fatigue Crack Growth and Fracture Resistance in Ti-6Al-4V and Ti-6Al-6V-2Sn Through Microstructural Modification

Abstract

Significant enhancement in fatigue crack propagation resistance and plane strain fracture toughness was obtained in commercial purity Ti-6Al-4V and Ti-6Al-6V-2Sn through microstructural modification. Alloys studied were in the form of 25.4 mm-thick plate with interstitial oxygen contents of 0.20 and 0.17 weight percent, respectively. Heat treatments were chosen to provide widely varied microstructures; these included a mill anneal, recrystallization anneal and a beta anneal. The most beneficial heat treatment for improving these crack tolerance properties was found to be the beta anneal. However, the beta anneal resulted in yield strength reductions of 9 to 14 percent, from levels associated with the original mill anneal. The recrystallization anneal provided significant enhancement of plane strain fracture toughness and marginal improvement in fatigue crack propagation resistance with negligible loss of yield strength.