Russia Improves The Durability Of Titanium Alloy Used in Aero-engine Manufacturing

Researchers at the Perm National University of Science and Technology (PNRPU) have found a way to improve the titanium durability of aircraft engines, Russia's news agency TASS reported.

Two-phase titanium alloys are widely used in aviation and engine manufacturing due to their high specific strength and corrosion resistance, but improving their durability is an urgent task in the development and production of gas turbine engine components, such as compressor blades and wheels, which can bear large tensile loads during operation.

At present, the two-phase sub-microcrystalline titanium alloy has been widely used worldwide to manufacture the gas turbine engine components operating under the high cycle load and the high temperature environment of 201-351℃. However, the fatigue strength of titanium alloy in this working temperature range has not been studied so far. Scientists at the School of Mechanical and Technology at Pilm University of Technology studied the properties of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy composed of aluminum, vanadium and titanium and evaluated the alloy at a maximum temperature of 351℃.

The test used hot-rolled Ti-6-alloy A l-4V of 20 mm, underwent standard heat treatment: hardened at 966℃, annealed at 676℃ for 4 hours, processed at 651℃, and mechanical tensile test at room temperature and 351℃.

All of the samples used for fatigue testing were made by turning and mechanical polishing, and the microstructure of the material was analyzed in the longitudinal cross section of the rod using transmission electron microscopy.

The Ti-6Al-4V ultrafine alloy obtained by equal diameter angle extrusion showed higher tensile strength and higher strength at an operating temperature of 351℃ as compared to the crude crystalline alloy. The Pilm University of Technology received 100 million rubles in funding from the Initiative-2030 initiative in 2021.