Microstructure and microtexture evolution of hot-rolled Ti-6321 alloy at different post-annealing temperatures

The microstructure and microtexture evolution of a near-alpha titanium alloy Ti-6321 during the post-annealing process after the hot-rolling were investigated. The microstructure of the hot-rolled plate developed differently at distinct annealing temperatures and the macrozone sizes and morphologies changed at the same time. The results showed that the recrystallization process was not fully achieved after hot-rolling and macrozones had formed after the hot-rolling process with its longitudinal direction extending nearly parallel to the rolling direction and exhibited strong transverse basal texture. After post-annealing, the recrystallization, alpha grain globularization, coarsening as well as the alpha(p)->beta ->alpha(s) phase transformation occurred depending on the temperatures, resulting in the decrease of density and size of macrozones and weakening of < 0001 > parallel to TD texture component. Variant selection and the influence of alpha(p) contributed to the texture inheritance, whereas globularization, beta grain growth, and new variant formation led to the orientation spread of alpha(s). (C) 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The microstructure and microtexture evolution of a near-alpha titanium alloy Ti-6321 during the post-annealing process were investigated. The results showed that the recrystallization, alpha grain globularization, coarsening, and phase transformation occurred, resulting in changes in macrozone sizes, morphologies, and texture components.