Post by Guney Mert Bilgin

📣 I'm happy to share that our recent research article on Ti48Al2Cr2Nb alloy produced by Electron Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-EB) has been published in #Intermetallics. This study aimed to address the extreme brittleness of as-built Ti48Al2Cr2Nb alloy produced by PBF-EB through post-process thermal treatments. We investigated hot isostatic pressing (HIP) and annealing heat treatment (HT) to optimize the alloy’s mechanical properties and correlate them with structural features using EBSD, detailed microstructure, texture analyses, fracture examinations, and tensile testing at room and elevated temperatures. Some highlights from our study: 🔷 As-built samples exhibited severe brittleness due to banded γ/α2 lamellae, <001> texture, and ~10 wt% Al variation between coarse γ and γ/α2 lamellae. 🔷 Annealing at 1200 °C coarsened γ grains, intensified the <001> texture, and made the banded structure more pronounced. 🔷 HIPing at 1200 °C coarsened γ and α2 grains, increased α2 phase content, and eliminated the banded structure. 🔷 Rietveld and EBSD analyses revealed a higher amount of α2 in HIPed samples, while HTed samples contained finer α2 that acted as pinning sites against grain growth. 🔷 Both HIPing and annealing reduced chemical variations between coarse and fine regions, mitigating catastrophic brittle fracture. 🔷 Recrystallisation reached 100% after annealing and 80.5% after HIPing. 🔷 Both HIPing and annealing eliminated brittleness at room and elevated temperatures, enabling greater plastic deformation. This study provides valuable insights into tailoring the microstructure–property relationships of Ti48Al2Cr2Nb alloy, especially for aerospace applications. I’d like to sincerely thank co-authors, Prof. Dr. Arcan Dericioglu, Prof. Dr. ziya esen, Dr. Kemal DAVUT, Seren Özer, and my former colleagues at TEI - TUSAŞ Engine Industries, Inc. for their contributions to this work.