TiTaNb clads produced by electron beam surface alloying in regular air at atmospheric pressure: Fabrication, structure, and properties

Abstract In this study, the non-vacuum electron beam (EB) technology was used to clad commercially pure (CP-) Ti with Ta and Nb. The microstructure of the samples was characterized using optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The cladded layers were 1.7–2.7 mm thick and had a dense defect-free structure. Compositional inhomogeneity caused by dendritic liquation was observed in the cladded layers. High cooling rates during non-vacuum EB cladding led to the formation of the α’, α”, β, and ω metastable phases in the samples. The nanoscale ω phase was found in the regions with a high amount of Ta and Nb. Due to the increase in the Nb and Ta content, the microstructure of the samples was refined, and the microhardness increased from 330 HV to 400 HV. The impact toughness of the materials with cladded layers remained at a sufficiently high level (180–250 J/cm2). Corrosion tests carried out in hot nitric acid revealed that the addition of 15% Ta and 11.3% Nb to Ti decreased the corrosion rate from 0.104 mm/year to 0.004 mm/year, which was related to an increase in the fraction of Ta and Nb oxides in the oxide film. The produced materials can be recommended as a relatively cheap alternative for nuclear waste recycling when a hot solution of nitric acid is used.