Deformation behavior of beta-titanium alloys

The cold workability of four solution-treated beta-titanium alloys was determined and related to the initial substructure. Two alloys (TIMETAL-LCB and Ti-15-3), which retained a well-developed subgrain structure after solution treatment, exhibited excellent workability, while those alloys which did not (VT22 and TC6) exhibited inferior ductility. The difference in workability was explained in terms of the variation in strain-accommodation mechanism. Other factors that exacerbated the observed low ductility of the latter two alloys were also identified. These included the occurrence of deformation-induced martensite formation and the development of multi-component textures, both of which may lead to localization of deformation at interphase or grain boundaries and subsequent failure.