Design and verification of thermomechanical parameters of P/M Ti6Al4V alloy forging

This work is focused on the design of technology of forging high-quality Ti6Al4V alloy by means of powder metallurgy methods. A mixture of elemental powders, with the chemical composition of that of Ti6Al4V alloy, was used as a starting material for the investigation. Powder mixtures were fully densified by hot compaction under precisely controlled conditions. The mechanical properties of the obtained compacts were examined. The mechanical behaviour of the investigated alloy powder compacts was evaluated by compression test under various thermomechanical conditions using Gleeble simulator. The microstructure of powder compacts as well as P/M alloy samples deformed in compression tests was examined. All data obtained from the experimental tests were applied as boundary conditions for numerical simulation of forging of selected forgings. Basing on the results of both plastometric tests and simulations, thermomechanical parameters of the investigated alloy forging were determined. Designed parameters of forging technology were verified by forging trials performed in industrial conditions. The quality of the obtained forgings was examined by means of computed tomography. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.