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A comprehensive assessment of tensile properties of powder metallurgical (PM) processed Ti-6Al-4V alloy, through the mapping of strength–ductility property domains, is performed in this review. Tensile property data of PM Ti-6Al-4V alloys made from blended element (BE) and pre-alloyed powders including that additive manufactured (AM) from powders, as well as that made using titanium hydride powders, have been mapped in the form of strength–ductility domains. Based on this, porosity and microstructure have been identified as the dominant variables controlling both the strength and the tensile ductility of the final consolidated materials. The major finding is that tensile ductility of the PM titanium is most sensitive to the presence of pores. The significance of extreme-sized pores or defects in inducing large variations in ductility is emphasized. The tensile strength, however, has been found to depend only weakly on the porosity. The effect of microstructure on properties is masked by the variations in porosity and to some extent by the oxygen level. It is shown that any meaningful comparison of the microstructure can only be made under a constant porosity or density level. The beneficial effect of a refined microstructure is also brought out by logically organizing the data in terms of microstructure groups. The advantages of new processes, using titanium hydride powder to produce PM titanium alloys, in simultaneously increasing strength and ductility, are also highlighted. The tensile properties of AM Ti-6Al-4V alloys are also brought to light, in comparison with the other PM and wrought alloys, through the strength–ductility maps.

Tensile properties of Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy, sintered by a new process (sintering, phase transformation, and dehydrogenation of titanium hydride compacts, termed HSPT process), were investigated to determine how the sintering pores influence the tensile strength and ductility. It was found that the ductility in the sintered alloy is severely affected by the size of the largest pore, referred here as extreme-sized pore, even when the average volume fraction of porosity is nearly constant between a large number of samples. It is shown that the rapid decrease in ductility, with an increase in the extreme pore size, is caused by strain localization around the extreme-sized pore and early crack initiation. This crack initiation leads to fracture of the plane containing the pore thereby limiting the extent of uniform plastic strain that can be attained before fracture. Interestingly, the strength properties are, however, found to be independent of the size of the extreme-sized pore. The results are explained on the basis of stress concentration and strain localization around the extreme-sized pores. The work also reveals that if the extreme-sized pores are eliminated, PM Ti-6Al-4V alloy with high strength (~1100 MPa) and good ductility (~12 pct), which is easily comparable to a wrought Ti-6Al-4V alloy, can be achieved even at oxygen levels up to 0.4 wt pct.

The hydrogen sintering and phase transformation (HSPT) process is a novel powder metallurgy method for producing Ti alloys, particularly the Ti-6Al-4V alloy, with ultra-fine microstructure in the as-sintered state. The ultra-fine microstructure is obtained as a direct result of the use of H2 gas during sintering. The refinement of the microstructure during HSPT is similar to that of thermal hydrogen processing (THP) of bulk Ti alloys. For both THP and HSPT of Ti-6Al-4V alloy, the mechanisms of the grain refinement depend on the phase equilibria and phase transformations in the presence of hydrogen, which are surprisingly still not well established to date and are still subjected to research and debate. In recent work by the present authors, a pseudo-binary phase diagram of (Ti-6Al-4V)-H has been determined by using in situ synchrotron XRD and TGA/DSC techniques. Aided by this phase diagram, the current paper focuses on the series of phase transformations during sintering and cooling of Ti-6Al-4V in a hydrogen atmosphere and the mechanisms for the formation of the ultra-fine microstructures obtained. Using experimental techniques, including in situ synchrotron XRD, SEM, EBSD, and TEM, the microstructural refinement was found to be the result of (1) the precipitation of ultra-fine α/α2 within coarse β grains during an isothermal hold at intermediate temperatures, and (2) the eutectoid transformation of β → α + δ at approximately 473 K (200 °C).

The study focused on the in-situ synthesis of titanium (Ti)-titanium boride (TiB) composites with β phase in the matrix by reaction sintering of TiB2 with Ti and alloying element powders. The goal was to examine the nature of TiB whisker formation in three different kinds of powder mixtures: (1) β-Ti alloy powders and TiB2; (2) α-Ti powder, a master alloy (Fe-Mo) powder containing the β-stabilizing elements, and TiB2; and (3) α-Ti powder, a β-stabilizing elemental powder (Mo or Nb), and TiB2. The effects of powder packing and the relative locations of powder particles on the morphological changes in TiB whisker formation and their growth were studied at processing temperatures ranging from 1100°C to 1300°C. The morphology, size, and distribution of whiskers were found to be influenced by the powder-packing conditions. A large particle-size ratio in bimodally packed mixtures led to the formation of a TiB monolithic layer around β grains. With a relatively finer starting powder, smaller size ratio, and trimodal packing arrangement, the TiB whiskers were found to be distributed more homogeneously in the matrix. The study also used the X-ray direct comparison method and the structure factor for the β phase to determine the volume fraction of TiB phase from X-ray data. Tensile tests and fractographic investigations were carried out on selected composites. The evolution of the composite microstructure, the influence of powder-packing variables, and the morphology and growth of TiB whiskers and their effect on mechanical properties are discussed.

The study demonstrates the feasibility of synthesizing TiB whiskers on titanium (Ti) surfaces by solid-state diffusion to form a hard and wear-resistant coating. The microstructural and mechanical properties of the TiB coating layer have also been investigated. The TiB coating was formed by the solid-state diffusion of boron (B) from a powder mixture containing amorphous boron, Na2CO3 powder, and charcoal (activated) powder. The diffusion process was carried out at various temperatures ranging from 800 °C to 1000 °C for various periods of time ranging from 1 to 24 hours. The amount of Na2CO3 in the mixture was also varied. It has been found that pristine and extremely fine TiB whiskers form on the surfaces of titanium, with the whiskers growing more or less normal to the surface. A maximum coating thickness of about 218 µm was observed for the pack diffusion conditions at 850 °C for 24 hours with 15 pct Na2CO3. The kinetics of TiB formation was found to follow the growth rates in bulk composites. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of the coatings revealed the dominant TiB peaks with a very few TiB2 peaks, with small intensity at higher temperature and time. The surface hardness of the coated layer increased to a Vickers hardness of about 550 kgf/mm2 due to the presence of TiB whiskers in the coating. It is shown that pack diffusion of boron in the solid state is a simple and very effective means of generating hard and wear-resistant coatings on titanium.