Study of the dynamic recrystallization of Ti-6.5Al-3.5Mo-1.5Zr-0.3Si alloy in β-forging process via Finite Element Method modeling and microstructure characterization

By integrating the thermomechanically coupled simulation with the mathematically modeling of microstructure evolution using Finite Element Method (FEM), the study of the dynamic recrystallization (DRX) of Ti-6.5Al-3.5Mo-1.5Zr-0.3Si alloy in beta-forging process is conducted. Through physical experiment, microstructure characterization and FEM-based microstructure modeling, the DRX behavior of the Ti-alloy in beta-forging process is extensively explored. The effects of plastic deformation strain, strain rate and deformation temperature on the DRX of the Ti-alloy in terms of DRX volume fraction, DRX grain size and the average grain size are systematically investigated. The simulation results show that the increase of plastic deformation strain, deformation temperature, and strain rate contributes to the DRX of the alloy. The simulation and experimental results further reveal that the FEM-based microstructure evolution modeling is able to predict the DRX behavior and the microstructure evolution of Ti-6.5Al-3.5Mo-1.5Zr-0.3Si alloy in beta-forging process. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.