Microstructural Transformation by Compositional Modification of Ti-6Al-4V Alloy for Aerospace Applications

Abstract

Ti-6Al-4V alloy has been extensively used in aircraft for lightweight structural applications including wings and fuselage. Similar to other Ti alloys, however, its major drawback is higher cost leading to limitation in its application. In this case, Iron (Fe) has been introduced to Ti-alloys as a replacement of expensive element like vanadium (V) and molybdenum (Mo) in order to lower cost. In this work, a new Ti-6Al-Fe alloy was developed through major composition modifications of Ti–6Al–4V alloy. The vanadium element in Ti–6Al–4V alloy was replaced by 1 to 3 wt. % Fe. It was found that Fe can be effectively act as a β-stabilizing element. Ti-6Al-Fe system bring a strong advantage over conventional Ti-6Al-4V alloy in many aerospace applications owing to outstanding mechanical and corrosion properties.