Effect of Powder Compact Holding Time on the Microstructure and Properties of Ti-6Al-4V Alloy Produced by Powder Compact Extrusion of a Powder Mixture of HDH Titanium and Al-V Master Alloy

Ti-6Al-4V (wt%) alloy rods were prepared successfully using a low-cost method that combines mixing HDH titanium, elemental aluminum and Al-V master alloy powders and powder compact extrusion. The microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti-6Al-4V alloy and the effects of powder compact holding time on them were investigated. The results showed that powder compact holding time had a significant effect on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the extruded Ti-6Al-4V alloy rods. With increasing powder compact holding time from 2 to 10 min., the microstructure of the extruded rods became more homogeneous, and their UTS decreased from 1300 to 1215MPa and the elongation to fracture increased from 7.1 to 10.2%. The tensile properties of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy rods produced by powder compact extrusion of the powder mixture are comparable to those of Ti-6Al-4V alloy produced by ingot metallurgy and thermomechanical processing.