Metallurgical - IJMMSE - Tailoring of Microstructure of - Reham Reda

www.tjprc.org editor@tjprc.
org
International Journal of Metallurgical & Materials
Science and Engineering (IJMMSE)
ISSN(P): 2278-2516; ISSN(E): 2278-2524
Vol. 4, Issue 3, Jun 2014, 29-44
TJPRC Pvt. Ltd.

TAILORING OF MICROSTRUCTURE OF TI-6AL-4V IMPLANT CASTINGS FOR
ABRASIVE WEAR RESISTANCE
REHAM REDA
1
, ADEL NOFAL
2
, ABDEL-HAMID HUSSEIN
3
& EL-SAYED M. EL-BANNA
4

1,2
Central Metallurgical R&D Institute, Helwan, Egypt
3,4
Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University, Egypt

ABSTRACT
The aim of this work was to correlate the microstructure characteristics and the abrasive wear resistance of
Ti-6Al-4V castings via different cycles of heat treatment. Nine heat treatment cycles were performed on the as-cast
specimens of Ti-6Al-4V alloy. Three of them were called single stage heat treatment cycles (SSHT) that involved solution
annealing at 900C, 935C and 980C for 10 min followed by water quenching. The other six cycles were called duplex
stage heat treatment (DSHT) and involved solution annealing at 900C, 935C and 980C for 10 min, furnace cooling to
600C and 700C, followed by isothermal holding for 30 min and subsequent water quenching. The characterization was
conducted using microstructure investigation along with hardness and abrasive wear tests. The worn surfaces were
observed using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) in order to investigate the working wear mechanism. After SSHT, an
increase in the hardness and abrasive wear resistance was recorded as compared with the as-cast condition. This is
attributed to the formation of martensite phase in the microstructure after quenching from SSHT temperatures. On the other
hand, DSHT have little effect on the hardness values while effectively enhance the abrasive wear resistance over the as-
cast alloy and SSHT. This may be attributed to stress induced martensite transformation (SIM) of the retained -phase,
which formed in the microstructure after DSHT, during abrasive wear process. Controlling and adjusting the composition
and volume fraction of the different phases in the microstructure of Ti-6Al-4V castings during DSHT promote abrasive
wear resistance by turning the wear mechanism to scratched wear mechanism.
KEYWORDS: Ti-6Al-4V Implant Castings- Single/Duplex Stage Heat Treatment- Microstructure- Retained
-Phase- Hardness - Abrasive Wear Resistance - Worn Surface
INTRODUCTION
Current uses of Ti-6Al-4V castings, as implant material, include cast hip and knee joints prosthesis in addition to
dental implants such as crowns and bridges.
[1,2]
There are a trend to use Ti-6Al-4V alloy in the as-cast condition in order to
reduce the cost of processing.
[1,3]
The disadvantage of Ti-6Al-4V alloy is that it has poor abrasive wear resistance, which
results in the wear of the implant during its fixation in the body. Implant wear is a common phenomenon, which results due
to high friction between artificial implant materials when in contact with natural bone. The artificial joints can withstand
cyclic loads acting on them higher than the healthy and natural joints.
[4]
The corresponding wear of the implant results in
the accumulation of wear debris in the body tissues, which results in inflammation, pain and loosening of implant resulting
in shorter life period of the implant,

in addition to mechanical and chemical instability of the implant.
[2]
Ti-6Al-4V alloy is of +-type that is characterized to be sensitive to microstructural variations. Major
microstructural parameters affecting mechanical properties of Ti-6Al-4V alloy are composition, size, volume fractions and
30 Reham Reda, Adel Nofal, Abdel-Hamid Hussein & El-Sayed M. El-Banna

Impact Factor (JCC): 2.9076 Index Copernicus Value (ICV): 3.0
morphology of - and -phases. Many researchers have tried to obtain the desired mechanical properties by controlling
these microstructural factors through heat treatments or thermomechanical treatments.
[5-9]
Many authors
[3,6-9]
stated that the
presence of retained and transformed -phase in the microstructure enhanced the properties of Ti-6Al-4V alloys. In the
present work, the effect of controlling the microstructural characteristics via heat treatment on the abrasive wear resistance
was studied. Nine different heat treatment cycles were conducted in an argon atmosphere on Ti-6Al-4V cast specimens.
Then, the specimens were characterized using microstructure investigation along with hardness and abrasive wear tests.
The worn surfaces also investigated using scanning electron microscope (SEM).
EXPERIMENTAL WORK
Material and Methods
The specimens used in this study were cut using Electric Discharge Machining (EDM) from the as-cast Ti-6Al-4V
alloy ingot into dimensions of 12mmx12mmx7mm. The chemical composition is given in Table (1).
Heat Treatment
This study involves 9 heat treatment cycles, see Figure 1. and Figure 2. Programmable furnace with a controlled
atmosphere was used for all heat treatment cycles. All heat treatment cycles were carried out in an argon environment.
In this study, the solution treatment temperatures for the cast Ti-6Al-4V alloy were selected to be below beta transus
transformation temperature (T
) to avoid grain coarsening and formation of high fraction of brittle martensite after
quenching. T
was measured using heat-flux differential scanning calorimeter (heat-flux DSC) to be 987C. The performed
heat treatment cycles can be divided into two parts, as will be discussed below.
Single Stage Heat Treatment (SSHT)
In single stage heat treatment (SSHT), the specimens were heated up to different temperatures in + range
(900C, 935C, 980C). The specimens were isothermally held for 10min, followed by water quenching, as shown in
Figure 1.
Duplex Stage Heat Treatment (DSHT)
The duplex stage heat treatment (DSHT) involved heating specimens up to + range (900C, 935C, 980C) and
isothermally held for 10min, followed by the furnace cooling to lower temperatures (600C and 700C as shown in Figure
2), and isothermally held for 30min. Finally specimens were water quenched down to room temperature.
TESTING AND EXAMINATIONS
Microstructure Investigation
The as-cast and heat-treated specimens were prepared by standard metallographic techniques which consist of
polishing and etching in an etchant composed of 10% HNO
3
, 5% HF, and 85% distilled water. After etching, the
specimens were investigated by an optical microscope. X-ray diffraction analysis with CuK irradiation was used for
microstructural characterization. X-ray diffraction measurements were made using the angle 2 from 34 to 42.
The volume fractions of the different phases were measured by the image analyzer and X-ray diffraction.
Hardness Test
The average bulk Vickers hardness (HV30) of the specimens was measured. The applied load was 30kg, loading
Tailoring of Microstructure of Ti-6al-4v Implant Castings for Abrasive Wear Resistance 31

www.tjprc.org editor@tjprc.org
time was 15 seconds and the speed of the indenter was 100m/sec, according to ASTM E92. The sample surfaces were
removed by 3mm to eliminate any oxidized layer prior to the hardness measurement. Five readings were taken on each
sample and the average of them is reported.
Abrasive Wear Test
The wear tests were carried out by the laboratory pin-on-ring method. The wear test conditions are given in
Table (2). The pin-on-ring abrasive wear test involved high stress, two-body abrasion, in which one end of a rectangular
pin specimen was fixed against rotating abrasive hardened stainless steel ring. Prior to testing, the samples and ring were
ultrasonically cleaned and washed in acetone.
Abrasive wear behavior was studied by determining the weight loss and investigating the wear mechanisms via
scanning electron microscopy (SEM) at different magnifications. Specimens were weighed using scale with a sensitivity of
0.1 mg. Each reported wear value was the average result obtained from two separate measurements.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
Microstructure and Phase Transformations
Microstructural Characteristics of Cast Ti-6Al-4V Alloy
Microstructure of the as-cast Ti-6Al-4V alloy is shown in Figure 3. The bright regions correspond to -phase,
forming a typical Widmansttaten structure, whereas thin dark regions between -plates are -phase.
[3]
In the
Widmanstatten microstructure, -phase is formed along prior -grain boundaries, and colonies of lath-type and lamellar
structure are present inside prior grains. and platelets are known to have different Burgers direction.
[1]

X-ray diffraction pattern of the as-cast alloy is shown in Figure 4. Reflections of and phases were detected in
diffraction patterns of the as-cast alloy. It should be noted that reflections are rather weak, suggesting a relatively low
volume fraction of the -phase.
[3]
The volume fraction of -phase was detected by XRD to be 10%.
Malinov et al.
[10]
calculated the amount of retained -phase from X-ray diffraction patterns to be 92% and
reported that the amount of retained -phase is independent on the cooling rate. They
[10]
found that the only difference
between the X-ray diffraction patterns after different cooling rates was in the relative intensities of the different {h k l}
planes of the -phase. This was probably due to preferable orientation of the -phase under different cooling rates.
Effect of SSHT on Microstructure and Phase Transformation
The microstructures after different single stage heat treatments (SSHT) are shown in Figure 5. Water-quenching
from the indicated temperatures in + range leads to the formation of acicular ' martensite structure by diffusionless
transformation of -phase, as previously reported.
[1,3,5,10,11]
-phase, in the as-cast structure Figure 3, appears as thin dark
areas between -lamellae, in other words, -phase appears as delimits of -lamellae. These areas are likely to transform to
martensite upon water quenching from high temperatures in + range. Therefore, the formed martensite phase appears in
the optical micrographs also as a thin dark layer surrounding -lamellae. Optical micrographs of the alloy quenched from
900C and 935C are shown in Figure.5. a-b, respectively. The microstructures formed in these conditions are a mixture of
acicular ' martensite and structures with plates formed inside and at prior -grain boundaries.
P
with more globular
structure also begins to appear after quenching from + range along with lamellar structure. The microstructure
quenched from 935C has higher fractions of ' martensite phase than quenched from 900C. The optical micrograph of

the alloy quenched from 980C is shown in Figure 5. c. Quenching from 980C, just below T, results in a microstructure
that consists nearly of oriented-acicular ' martensite structure. Small bright areas of -phase can be seen.
Many authors
[3,5,9]
pointed out that the -phase cannot be differentiated from ' martensite phase by X-ray
diffraction measurements because the interplanar spacing in the two structures are nearly the same. Thereby, the obtained
X-ray diffraction data can only confirm the presence of a stable -phase in quantities high enough to be detected. X-ray
diffraction patterns of the samples after SSHT are shown in Figure 6. The broadening and intensity of +' reflections,
having high value of the full width at half maximum (FWHM), increase as the SSHT temperatures increase. This is an
evidence for the presence of the supersaturated ' martensitic phase with hcp structure in increasing fractions as the SSHT
temperature increases. These results are in agreement with previous data.
The results of quantitative measurements of the volume fractions of the different phases after SSHT are presented
in Figure7. The volume fraction of -phase was measured using an image analyzer, where -phase appears bright in the
optical micrograph and - and -phases appear dark. -phase volume fraction can be detected using XRD analysis; hence
the volume fraction of martensite phase is a rough estimation, which equals to the supplement to 100%.
As shown in Figure 7, the volume fraction of -phase decreases with increasing SSHT temperature from 53% at
900C to 10% at 980C. On the other hand, the volume fraction of martensite phase increases with increasing SSHT
temperature from 28% at 900C to 80% at 980C. Our results are in agreement with previous sources.
[2,3,5-7,9]
The presence
of martensite in Ti-6Al-4V alloy has been widely reported.
[3,5,7,9,11,12]
. As the temperature increases, during heating, -phase
fraction increases at the expense of -phase fraction and V becomes uniformly distributed in this -phase. Therefore, the
formed -phase becomes leaner in stabilizer (V%). If the -phase is lean in stabilizer when quenched, it is more likely
to be unstable and transform to martensite.
[41,52]

The presence of small amounts of the retained -phase in the specimens upon quenching from + range is due to
the fact that the martensite finish temperature, M
f
, is below 25C for this alloy, as reported previously.
[3,5,8]
Thus, upon
quenching, not all is converted to martensitic -phase. As the temperature increases, during heating, the volume fraction
of -phase increases while its stability decreases; hence its M
f
increases, and upon water quenching -phase transforms to
' martensite and its retention decreases. In other words, -phase formed at 980C has the highest M
f
while -phase formed
at 900C has the lowest M
f
in the studied SSHT temperature range. Therefore, the amount of retained -phase at room
temperature decreases as SSHT temperature increases, as presented in Figure 7. This fact is in agreement with previous
data reported by Ramosoeu.
[8]

Effect of DSHT on Microstructure and Phase Transformation
The optical micrographs of the microstructure after duplex stage heat treatments (DSHT) are shown in Figure 8.
In these conditions, all the microstructures consist of parallel plates of delineated by -phase between them. The darker
regions are -phase, left between -plates which have been formed. The morphology of - and -phases didnt change after
DSHT, while their fraction and composition changed (Figure 9. and Figure 10.), as will be discussed below.
The controlled cooling to lower temperatures in +-range was intended to promote the vanadium enrichment in
-phase by enhancing the growth of plates that enrich the -phase with stabilizers, through + transformation
during slow cooling, as reported previously
[12]
. The second isothermal step in the DSHT (600C/700C) was intended to
promote transformation of + which would initiate at / boundaries.

Holding at 600C or 700C will only permit the redistribution of the alloying elements due to diffusional process
at these high temperatures. Water quenching from these temperatures prevents the decomposition of -phase; hence higher
amount of -phase is retained to room temperature.
Figure 9. presents the volume fraction of - and -phases after DSHT. The microstructures after DSHT at 600C
had lower amount of retained -phase than microstructures after DSHT at 700C for all first stage temperatures. As the
temperature in the first stage increases, the amount of -phase formed at this temperature increases through +
transformation while furnace cooling from the first stage temperature leads to + transformation to take place. The
kinetics of the transformation from the certain temperature in the first stage to 600C or 700C can be correlated to the
volume fraction of - and -phases (Figure 9). It can be concluded that as the first stage temperature increases, the kinetics
of the transformation increase, i.e. + transformation rate increases which results in decrease in the fraction of -phase
with increasing the first stage temperature. For example, in the case of DSHT at 600C, volume fraction of -phase is the
highest after DSHT from 900C and lowest from 980C, while from 935C is intermediate value between them. Volume
fraction after DSHT at 700C is changed in the same manner as at 600C.
As it is well known for Ti-6Al-4V + Ti-alloy that V is -stabilizer which forms and enriches -phase, while Al
is -stabilizer which forms and enriches -phase. Since -phase is the strengthening phase in these conditions, i.e. when the
microstructure consists only from - and -phases, therefore, V content and distribution are the key factors that control the
mechanical properties of the alloy. Figure 10. presented the chemical composition of both - and -phases after DSHT.
-phase is lean in V content (Figure 10. a). As shown in Figure 10. b, -phase formed after DSHT at 600C is richer in
V content than that formed after DSHT at 700C. Hence; -phase formed after DSHT at 600C is more stable. This can be
illustrated by the fact that V concentration in the -phase increases with decreasing its fraction as the second step treatment
temperature decrease from 700C to 600C. This is accompanied with decreasing V content in -phase and increasing its
Al content.
On the other hand, for DSHT at 600C, the highest concentration of V content in -phase is obtained from 900C
and the lowest from 980C, while an intermediate value between them is obtained from 935C. The concentration of V is
changed in the same manner after DSHT at 700C from the same temperatures. This is in contradiction with the above fact,
where the fraction of -phase isnt inversely proportional to its V content. This may be attributed to increasing V content in
-phase as the first step in the DSHT temperature increase from 900C to 980C. As presented in Figure 10, this increase
in the V content in -phase is accompanied with decreasing in its Al content.
It is reported
[6]
that upon furnace cooling from a predetermined temperature, the -phase may decompose,
depending upon its composition. There may also be decomposition of the -phase during the isothermal step of DSHT,
again depending upon the -phase composition. The decreased solubility of alloying element in -phase during slow
cooling induces precipitation of -phase.
[11]
In our study, XRD was not detected any precipitates.
Finally, we can state that the phase transformation, i.e. fractions of the phases and their compositions, occur
during DSHT is controlled mainly by V and Al diffusion. The decrease in the V content in -phase is compensated by its
increase in the -phase and the increase in V content is accompanied with decreasing in Al content in the same phase.
This may be controlled by the diffusivity of V and Al in Ti.


HARDNESS RESULTS
Effect of SSHT on Hardness
The change of hardness after SSHT and DSHT is shown in Figure 11. In SSHT, the hardness increases as the
SSHT temperature increases, as a result of formation of ' acicular martensite with increasing volume fraction as the SSHT
temperature increases, as reported in Figure 7. These hardness results were in agreement with pervious results.
[2,3,9,13]
It is
reported
[13]
that the grain refinement due to the bcc to hcp transformation and an increase in dislocation density caused by
the rapid cooling to form martensite contribute also in enhancing the hardness values. SSHT at 980C exhibited the
highest hardness values, while the as-cast alloy had the lowest one.
Effect of DSHT on Hardness
DSHT leads to little change in the hardness values as compared with the as-cast alloy. Solid solution
strengthening of -phase is the main factor that promotes hardness in DSHT. DSHT at 700C enhances the hardness more
than at 600C. This is attributed to higher volume fraction of -phase at 700C, as reported in Figure 9. After analyzing the
hardness results and correlating them with the microstructure characteristics (Figure 9. and Figure 10.), it can be concluded
that the hardness depends on the fraction of the harder phase (-phase), as reported previously,
[8]
more than on its
composition, e.g. saturation with V that enhances the strengthening by solid solution strengthening mechanism.
Among the different DSHT cycles, DSHT from 900C at 700C results in the highest hardness value where the
hardness increase by 4.1% as compared with the as-cast alloy. The corresponding microstructure consists of the highest
fraction of supersaturated retained -phase with fine precipitations of , which cause the strengthening effect. On the other
hand, DSHT from 980C at 600C resulted in a reduction in hardness value as compared with the as-cast alloy which
correlated to the lowest retained -phase fraction obtained, as presented in Figure 9. These results are contrary to the
results obtained by Meyer et al.,
[7]
who reported that after quenching from above or below -transus temperature and aging
at 600C or 700C for 60 minutes, the hardness obtained by aging at 600C is higher than at 700C. They
[7]
assumed that
aging at 700C leads to an overaging effect, resulting in a decrease in hardness when compared to the condition aged at
600C. We should point out that the procedure of heat treatment of our study and the study of Meyer et al.
[1]
are different.
They
[7]
tend to quench the sample after annealing in - or +- range for 60 min. followed by aging at 600C or 700C for
60 minutes. This procedure resulted in aged microstructure, that consists of aged martensite (temper martensite),
e.g. martensite decomposed to -phase and -phase decomposed to -phase. Therefore, the obtained -phase is lean in the
-stabilizer and cannot contribute in the strengthening effect, which was caused by the fine precipitations of . Otherwise
our results, the hardness value obtained after DSHT at 700C is higher than at 600C. This is attributed to increase the
volume fraction of the supersaturated retained -phase at 700C over 600C, which resulting in higher solid solution
strengthening effect; hence increasing in the hardness value.
Abrasive Wear Resistance and Worn Surface
Figure 12. shows the effect of SSHT and DSHT on the weight loss of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy.
Effect of SSHT on Weight Loss and Worn Surface
After SSHT, the weight loss decreases compared with the as-cast alloy. As the SSHT temperature increases, the
weight loss decreases.

This is attributed to the formation of acicular martensitic structure after quenching from these temperatures and
increasing its fraction as the SSHT temperature increases, as illustrated in Figure 6 and Figure 7. These results seem to be
in agreement with our microstructures and hardness results.
SEM observations of the worn surfaces of some selected samples after SSHT (Figure 13) confirm the above
results. It seems that the worn surface of the as-cast alloy showed coarse and thick wear tracks with deep wear grooves
Figure 13(a, b), While the worn surface of the alloy after quenching from 935C, Figure 13(c, d), show less damage.
Both worn surfaces have been shown micro-cutting and micro-ploughing wear mechanisms. This micro-cutting mechanism
occurred by stainless steel ring that cut into the soft microstructure and form chip, as indicated by the arrow in Figure 13
(b, d), at high magnification. Worn surface of the alloy quenching from 980C, Figure 13(e, f), showed only scratched
surface due to formation of high amount of ' martensite.
I. Cvijovi-Alagi et al.
[13]
reported that the wear resistance of Ti-6Al-4V alloy is very sensitive to heat treatment,
which modifies the microstructure. The grain refinement due to the bcc to hcp transformation and an increase in
dislocation density caused by the rapid cooling to form martensite contribute also in enhancing the hardness values;
hence wear resistance. This grain refinement of the microstructure after quenching from + range results in dissipation of
a large amount of the energy produced by sliding; hence leads to higher resistance to cracks formation on the surface of
worn specimens.
It is worth to mention that, in normal cases, as the hardness of a surface increases, a corresponding increase in the
wear resistance can be expected due to a decrease in the plasticity of the surface and absence in adhesive wear
mechanisms. The results in our study confirm this fact. Contrary to the normal cases, Feng et al.
[14]
found that the wear
resistance of Ti-6Al-4V alloy decreased as the surface hardness increased. In the author point of view, this may be
interpreted by that quenching in the study of Feng et al.
[14]
was conducted from 1000C that is above
-transus transformation temperature; hence the obtained microstructure consists of 100% martensite. This structure
results in brittle fracture behavior of the surface. In the present study, quenching were undertaken from different
temperature in +-range; hence the resulted microstructure consist of a mixture of -, - and -phases. We can say that
the presence of this mixture of the soft - and -phases along with hard -phase lead to enhance plastic deformation wear
mechanisms, e.g. micro-cutting and micro-plowing wear mechanism. These plastic deformation wear mechanisms turn to
scratch wear mechanism with increasing the volume fraction of martensite phase from 28% to 80%, as SSHT
temperature increases from 900C to 980C. On the other hand, increasing the volume fraction of the hard martensite
phase to 100% by quenching from above -transus transformation temperature, may lead to turn the scratch wear
mechanism to brittle fracture behavior where the microstructure consist of fully brittle phase.
Effect of DSHT on Weight Loss and Worn Surface
Weight loss decreased by 58.2% and by 78.5% after DSHT from 900C at 600C and 700C, respectively, as
compared with the as-cast alloy while after DSHT from 935C at 600C and 700C, weight loss decreased by 55.9% and
by 69.4%, respectively, as shown in Figure 12. On the other hand, DSHT from 980C also decrease the weight loss by
53.7% and by 65.9 at 600C and 700C, respectively.
As stated above, the microstructures after DSHT consists only from - and -phases, where there is no presence
of acicular martensite. Usually, as it is well known, as the hardness values increases the weight loss decreases. In our

study, the hardness values after DSHT is approximately at the same level of the as-cast alloy and lower than the hardness
values after SSHT (Figure 11). Contrary to our hardness results, the weight loss after DSHT is lower than in the case of the
as-cast alloy and after SSHT from 900C and 935C, as shown in Figure 12.
In these structures, the abrasive wear resistance is enhanced by the strain-induced marten site transformation
(SIM) of metastable -phase to ' marten site during wear process. This process of plastic deformation allows the matrix to
dissipate the mechanical energy introduced by each abrasive particle into a larger volume, with less damage per unit
volume. As the martensitic layer is subsequently removed by the various micro-cutting of abrasion, the underlying -phase
is once again exposed to the higher strain levels by the abrasive, and the process repeats itself. This transformation process
may also contribute to wear resistance by ensuring that a portion of the mechanical energy introduced by the
tribo-environment is used in the phase transformation rather than in the debris generation. Ganesh et al.
[4]
refered to this
phenomena previously. It is reported
[5]
that the strain induced transformation of retained to martensite always produces
the orthorhombic ".
In the present work, the author proved the occurrence of SIM transformation through comparing the change in
hardness of the worn surfaces before and after wear test. Although, evidence of this phenomenon is not apparent in optical
micrographs, its occurrence is strongly manifested by an increase in hardness of the worn surfaces of the samples subjected
to DSHT, as shown in Figure 14. After DSHT from 900C at 600C and 700C, the hardness value of the worn surfaces
increase by 5.3% and 9%, respectively, as compared with before the wear test, see Figure 11. On the other hand, after
DSHT from 935C at 600C and 700C, the hardness value of the worn surfaces increase by 5.1% and 6%, respectively,
while after DSHT from 980C at 600C and 700C, the hardness value of the worn surfaces increase by 4% and 4.9%,
respectively, as compared with before the wear test (Figure 11). The increase in the hardness of the worn surfaces confirms
that there is SIM transformation occurred during the wear test. The increases in the hardness values decrease as the first
stage temperature increase and as the second step temperature decrease from 700C to 600C. This is attributed to the
change in volume fraction of the strengthening phase -phase after DSHT, as presented in Figure 9. Since -phase is the
responsible for SIM transformation; hence as the volume fraction of -phase increases the increase in the hardness value of
the worn surfaces becomes higher; hence wear resistance is enhanced. This may be also related to the stability of the
-phase after DSHT, e.g. V content, see Figure 10. As discussed before, as V content increase in the -phase the stability
and hardness of -phase increase. Therefore, the formed SIM on the surface is rich in V content and become more resistant
to wear process.
The worn surfaces of some selected samples after DSHT are shown in Figure 15. It can be seen that worn surfaces
of all samples exhibit similar appearances. The improvement in the wear resistance obtained after DSHT is in agreement
with their worn surfaces features that reveal a smooth worn surface with some light scratches inside. The wear track after
DSHT at 700C from 900C is moderately fine as compared to from 935C and 980C. Worn surface of the samples after
DSHT at 700C from 900C and 935C (Figure 15(a, d)), showed scratched surface with less micro-chipping wear
mechanism. In this case, the wear mechanism can be defined as scratched wear mechanism. The surface of Ti-6Al-4V
alloy after DSHT from 980C at 700C, Figure 15(e, f), at the contact spots, was deformed due to the mechanical and
adhesive forces applied by the stainless steel counter disc. Namely, during sliding the material at the contact spots is
bunched up and pushed forward, forming strip-shaped wedges. Moreover, the wedges were compressed and rolled onto the
front surface of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy blocks forming the worn surface morphology showed in Figure 15(e, f).
[13]

CONCLUSIONS
The aim of this work was to tailor the microstructure characteristics of Ti-6Al-4V implant castings for the
abrasive wear resistance via heat treatment. Different SSHT and DSHT cycles were conducted and the
microstructure-abrasive wear resistance relationship was established.
After SSHT, , retained and phases were observed in different combinations depending on the SSHT
temperature while along with retained phases, in different fractions and compositions, were formed after
DSHT.
The increase in the hardness occurred after SSHT is due to the martensitic transformation while, in the case of
DSHT, the main strengthening mechanism is the solid solution strengthening of -phase by V.
DSHT have little effect on the hardness values while DSHT effectively enhance the abrasive wear resistance over
the as-cast alloy and SSHT. This may be attributed to stress induced martensite transformation (SIM) of the
retained -phase that formed in the microstructure after DSHT.
Controlling and adjusting the composition and volume fraction of the different phases in the microstructure of
Ti-6Al-4V castings during DSHT enhance abrasive wear resistance by turning the working wear mechanism to
scratched wear mechanism.
The best heat treatment temperature that promotes the abrasive wear resistance should ensure the stability of
-phase; hence its retention at room temperature. The fraction and composition of the retained -phase in the
microstructure are the key factors to enhance the abrasive wear resistance of Ti-6Al-4V castings.
REFERENCES
1. G. Ltjering and J. C. Williams, "Titanium", 2nd edition, Springer, (2007).
2. B. D. Venkatesh, D. L. Chen and S. D. Bhole, "Effect of heat treatment on mechanical properties of Ti-6Al-4V
ELI alloy", Materials Science and Engineering, Vol. A 506, PP: 117-124, (2009).
3. M.T. Jovanovic, S. Tadic, S. Zec, Z. Miskovic and I. Bobic, "The effect of annealing temperatures and cooling
rates on microstructure and mechanical properties of investment cast Ti-6Al-4V alloy", Materials and Design,
Vol. 27, PP: 192-199, (2006).
4. B. K. C. Ganesh, N. Ramaniah and P. V. Chandrasekhar Rao, "Effect of heat treatment on dry sliding wear of
titanium-aluminum-vanadium (Ti-6Al-4V) implant alloy", Journal of Mechanical Engineering Research, Vol. 4,
No. 2, PP: 67-74, (2012).
5. M. Imam and C. Gilmore, "Fatigue and microstructural properties of quenched Ti-6AI-4V", Metallurgical
Transactions, Vol. 14 A, PP: 233-240, (1983).
6. C. Rhodes and N. Paton, "The influence of / interface phase on tensile properties of Ti-6AI-4V", Metallurgical
Transactions, Vol. 10 A, PP: 1753-1758, (1979).
7. L. W. Meyer, L. Krger, K. Sommer, T. Halle and M. Hockauf, "Dynamic strength and failure behavior of
titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V for a variation of heat treatments", Mech. Time-Depend Mater, Vol. 12, PP: 237-247,

(2008).
8. M. E. Ramosoeu, H. K. Chikwanda, A. S. Bolokang, G. Booysen and T. N. Ngonda, "Additive manufacturing:
characterization of Ti-6Al-4V alloy intended for biomedical application", The Southern African Institute of
Mining and Metallurgy- Advanced Metals Initiative- Light Metals Conference, PP: 337-344, (2010).
9. T. Morita, K. Hatsuoka, T. Iizuka and K. Kawasaki, "Strengthening of Ti-6Al-4V alloy by short-time duplex heat
treatment", Materials Transactions, Vol. 46, No. 7, PP: 1681-1686, (2005).
10. S. Malinov, Z. Guo, W. Sha and A. Wilson, "Differential scanning calorimetry study and computer modeling of
phase transformation in a Ti-6Al-4Valloy", Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A, Vol. 32 A, PP:
879-887, (2001).
11. R. Dbrowski, "The kinetics of phase transformations during continuous cooling of the Ti6Al4V alloy from the
single-phase range", Archives of Metallurgy and Materials, Vol. 56, Issue 3, PP: 703-707, (2011).
12. T. Ahmed and H. J. Rack, Phase transformations during cooling in + titanium alloys, Materials Science and
Engineering, Vol. A 243, PP: 206-211, (1998).
13. Cvijovi-Alagi, S. Mitrovi, Z. Cvijovi, D. Veljovi, M. Babi and M. Rakin, "Influence of the heat treatment
on the tribological characteristics of the Ti-based alloy for biomedical applications", Tribology in industry,
Vol. 31, No. 3, PP: 17-22, (2009).
14. C. Feng and T. Khan, "The effect of quenching medium on the wear behavior of a Ti-6Al-4V alloy", J Mater
Sci, Vol. 43, PP: 788-792, (2008).
APPENDICIES
Tables
Table 1: Chemical Composition of the Studied Alloy
Element Al V Fe C O N H Ti
wt. % 5.89 4.2 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.0016 0.0053 Balance

Table 2: Abrasive Wear Test Conditions
Specimen size 5 mm 10 mm 12 mm
Disc material Stainless steel
Load 50N
Rotating speed 265 rpm
Wear type Dry
Test temperature Room temperature
Test time 30 min.

Figures

Figure 1: Schematic Drawing of SSHT Cycles

Figure 2: Schematic Drawing of DSHT Cycles at Different Temperatures: (a) 600C and (b) 700C

Figure 3: Microstructure of the as-cast Ti-6Al-4V Alloy Reveals Widmansttaten + Structure


Figure 4: X-Ray Diffraction Pattern of the as-Cast Ti-6Al-4V Alloy

Figure 5: Optical Micrographs of the Microstructure after SSHT
from: (a) 900C; (b) 935C and (c) 980C



Figure 6: X-Ray Diffraction Patterns after SSHT from Different Temperatures

Figure 7: Volume Fraction (%) of the Present Phases after SSHT


Figure 8: Optical Micrographs of Ti-6A1-4V Alloy after Different
First and Second Stage Temperatures of DSHT

Figure 9: Volume Fraction (%) of the Present Phases after DSHT


Figure 10: Alloying Contents (%) in - and - Phases after DSHT: (a) - and (b) -Phases

Figure 11: Effect of SSHT and DSHT Cycles on Hardness

Figure 12: Effect of SSHT and DSHT Cycles on the Weight Loss


Figure 13: SEM Micrographs of the Worn Surfaces after SSHT at Different
Magnifications: (a-b) As-cast; (c-d) SSHT at 935C and (e-f) SSHT at 980C

Figure 14: Change in the Hardness of the Worn Surfaces of the DSHT Specimens


Figure 15: SEM Micrographs of the Worn Surface after DSHT at Different
Magnifications: (a-b) 900C-700C; (c-d) 935C-700C and (e-f) 980C-700C

Metallurgical - IJMMSE - Tailoring of Microstructure of - Reham Reda

Transféré par

Informations du document

Description originale:

Titre original

Copyright

Formats disponibles

Partager ce document

Partager ou intégrer le document

Options de partage

Avez-vous trouvé ce document utile ?

Ce contenu est-il inapproprié ?

Droits d'auteur :

Formats disponibles

Metallurgical - IJMMSE - Tailoring of Microstructure of - Reham Reda

Transféré par

Droits d'auteur :

Formats disponibles

www.tjprc.org editor@tjprc.

Vous aimerez peut-être aussi