Microstructure refinement and improvement of mechanical properties of Ti46Al8Nb0.9B alloys by electromagnetic cold crucible continuous solidification

Microalloying with boron is effective and economical for refining microstructures of as-cast TiAl alloy. However, microstructural refinement is easily affected by the alloy composition and cooling rate, leading to inhomogeneous grain size in different areas of the ingot. In this study, the Ti46Al8Nb0.9B alloys are continuously solidified by the electromagnetic cold crucible, aiming to obtain homogeneous and fine microstructure. After electromagnetic cold crucible continuous solidification (EMCS), the obtained ingot shows finer and more homogeneous microstructure with lamellar colony size of about 50 mu m. The results of tensile test show that the EMCS ingot exhibited improved properties with yield strength (00.2) of 548 MPa and plastic elongation of 0.6%.

Automated summary

In this study, Ti46Al8Nb0.9B alloys were continuously solidified by electromagnetic cold crucible, leading to a more refined and homogeneous microstructure with improved mechanical properties.