A new phase in rapidly solidified Ti3Al-based alloys

Rapid solidification processing has been developed to improve the properties of alloys through refining microstructures, disordering and forming metastable phases. The as-melt spun Ti[sub 3]Al-based alloy with Nb additions above 5-at%, which consist of [alpha][sub 2] and [beta][sub 0] phases in a normal condition, exhibited as single [beta][sub 0] structure. Jackson et al have carried out a comparative study of I/M and RS Ti[sub 3]Al-1 Zr(at%) alloy. Their study revealed that considerable refinement of grains and anti-phase domains was achieved in the rapidly solidified material prepared by the pendant drop melt extraction process (PDME). It is suggested that rapid solidification processing can reduce the ordering of the Ti[sub 3]Al-based alloy. In the past years, it was found that the Ti[sub 3]Al-based alloy with alloying additions (mainly Nb) has been studied extensively, and some new phases such as T and O have been observed in the alloys, but less attention has been given to alloys with low Nb additions. The RS Ti[sub 3]Al-base alloys with Nb below 5-at% have been investigated systematically and a new metastable phase, ordering martensite [alpha][double prime][sub 0] (orthogonal), has been observed in these alloys.