Prediction of the martensite start temperature for β titanium alloys as a function of composition

A thermodynamics-based model to predict the martensite start temperature of beta titanium alloys is presented. The tendency of the beta phase to transform into martensite is estimated by applying the Ghosh-Olson approach to martensite nucleation modelling. The energetics and M(s) temperature for binary alloys are predicted with good accuracy. A succinct formula predicting M(s) temperature in multicomponent beta alloys is presented. The new equation is compared to the classical Mo equivalence criterion for assessing beta stability. (C) 2008 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.