High-cycle fatigue properties at cryogenic temperatures in forged- and rolled-Ti-5% Al-2.5% Sn ELI alloys

High-cycle fatigue properties were investigated at 4, 77 and 293 K in Ti-5% Al-2.5% Sn ELI alloys, in which mean alpha grain sizes were about 30 mu m in the rolled material and 80 mu m in the forged material. The ultimate tensile strengths of both materials were almost same and increased with decreasing temperature. The fatigue strength of each material also tended to increase with decreasing temperature. At 293 K, the fatigue strength of each material was almost equivalent. At 4 and 77 K, however, the fatigue strength of the rolled material was higher than that of the forged material. Concerning the rolled material, the fatigue strengths at 10(6) cycles at 4 and 77 K were about 1.6 and 1.5 times higher than that at 293 K, respectively. On the other hand, in the forged material, it should be noted that the fatigue strengths in longer-life region (over 10(6) cycles) were almost equivalent not depending on test temperatures. Fatigue cracks initiated in the specimen interior independently of test temperatures and materials (we call this type of crack initiation 'sub-surface crack initiation') and formed facet-like structures at the sub-surface crack initiation sites at 4 and 77 K. The size of each facet-like structure corresponded closely to the grain size itself. The sizes of crack initiation sites were smaller in the rolled material than in the forged material. Since sub-surface cracks, which form facets or crack initiation sites, are supposed to act as defects, it is concluded that grain refinement leads to reduce the size of crack initiation site and this contributes effectively to improve the fatigue strength in high-cycle region at cryogenic temperatures. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.