Low-Cost α+β PM Ti Alloys by Fe/Ni Addition to Pure Ti

Abstract

Ti and its alloys can deliver a very interesting combination of properties such as low density, high strength, corrosion resistance and biocompatibility and, therefore, are very flexible materials which can be adapted to various applications. Nonetheless, Ti and Ti alloys are only employed in critical applications (i.e. aeronautical and aerospace, nautical, medical, etc.) or in products for leisure. In both of these cases the higher fabrication costs of Ti in comparison to its competitors (i.e. steel and aluminium) is not the limiting factor as it is for many structural applications, especially for mass production (i.e. automotive sector). The use of creative techniques and the decrement of the starting price of Ti have been identified as the two main routes to follow to decrease the fabrication costs. In this study, the production of low-cost α+β Ti alloys has been assessed by combining the addition of cheap alloying elements (in particular a Fe/Ni powder) with the classical powder metallurgy route (pressing and sintering). Physical and mechanical properties as well as microstructural analysis of these low-cost alloys were measured and correlated to the processing parameters used to sinter them. It is found that the low-cost Ti alloys show similar behaviour to conventional α+β Ti alloys and, thus, have the potential to be used for non-critical applications.