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Metal composition effects on stress corrosion cracking of titanium alloys in nitrogen tetroxide, water, and salt
Description of a method of selectively reinforcing conventional titanium airframe structure with unidirectional boron-aluminum composite attached by brazing which has been successfully demonstrated based on compression tests of short skin-stringer panels. Improvements in structural performance exceeded 25% on an equivalent weight basis over the range from room temperature to 800 F, both in terms of initial buckling and maximum strengths. Room-temperature performance was not affected by prior exposure at 600 F for 1000 hours in air, or by 400 cycles between -65 and 600 F. The experimental results were generally predictable on the basis of existing analytical procedures. No evidence of failure was observed in the braze bond between the boron-aluminum composite and the titanium alloy.
Demonstration that the major variables influencing hot-salt stress-corrosion of titanium alloys are alloy processing conditions, heat-to-heat variations and composition, surface condition, and cyclic exposures. Under simulated compressor environmental conditions the commonly used 64 alloy is creep limited and not stress-corrosion limited. Cyclic exposures to stress-corrosion conditions are not as detrimental as continuous exposures for equivalent total times.
A process for the spray-application of a strongly adhesive, thick antifriction layer on titanium and titanium alloys is proposed. The titanium/titanium alloy component to be coated is first subjected to cleaning in a pickling bath with reducing additives and sand-blasting, then coated with an intermediate layer of nickel, after which the final layer is applied. The formation of TiNi at the interface ensures strong bonding of the antifriction layer.
Plane stress crack propagation of aluminum and titanium alloys at cryogenic temperatures
Effect of microstructure on stress corrossion cracking of titanium alloys in aqueous solutions at ambient temperatures
Aluminum concentration effects on stress corrosion cracking of titanium alloys in aqueous solutions
An experimental study was undertaken to determine the role of microstructure on the fatigue life reduction observed in titanium alloy IMI 834 under dwell loading conditions. The wave forms compared were a trapezoid with 15 and 30 second hold times at the maximum test load and a baseline, 10 Hertz, haversine. The stress ratio for both loading wave forms was 0.10. The fatigue loading of each specimen was conducted in a vacuum within a scanning electron microscope chamber which minimized the possibility that the laboratory environment would adversely affect the material behavior. Two microstructural conditions were investigated in the experimental program. The first involved standard 'disk' material with equiaxed alpha in a transformed beta matrix. The second material was cut from the same disk forging as the first but was heat treated to obtain a martensitic alpha prime microstructure. Tensile tests were performed prior to the onset of the fatigue loading portion of the study, and it was determined that the yield strengths of the specimens from both material conditions were within ten percent. The maximum fatigue loads were chosen to be 72 percent of the average yield strength for both materials as determined from the tensile tests. It was found that the cycles to failure from the 10 Hertz loading wave form were reduced by a factor of approximately five when the loading was changed to the trapezoidal wave form for the standard 'disk' material. The fatigue life reduction for the martensitic structure under identical test conditions was approximately 1.75. The improvement observed with the martensitic structure also was accompanied by an increase in overall fatigue life for the wave forms tested. This paper will review the results and conclusions of this effort.
Low cost methods for titanium structural fabrication using advanced cold-formable beta alloys were investigated for application in a Mach 2.7 supersonic cruise vehicle. This work focuses on improving processing and structural efficiencies as compared with standard hot formed and riveted construction of alpha-beta alloy sheet structure. Mechanical property data and manufacturing parameters were developed for cold forming, brazing, welding, and processing Ti-15V-3Cr-3Sn-3Al sheet, and Ti-3Al-8V-6Cr-4Zr on a more limited basis. Cost and structural benefits were assessed through the fabrication and evaluation of large structural panels. The feasibility of increasing structural efficiency of beta titanium structure by selective reinforcement with metal matrix composite was also explored.
Fabrication methods and tests for salt-stress corrosion and elevated temperature effects on compressive strength of titanium alloy skin stringer panels
Elevated temperature effects on fatigue life of tensile stressed titanium alloys, aluminum alloys, and stainless steels
Results of an experimental investigation of the oxidation protection afforded to Ti-14Al-21Nb and Ti-14Al-23Nb-2V titanium aluminides and Ti-17Mo-3Al-3Nb titanium alloy by aluminum-boron-silicon and boron-silicon coatings are presented. These coatings are applied by a combination of physical vapor deposition (PVD) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) processes. The former is for the application of aluminum, and the latter is for codeposition of boron and silicon. Coating thickness is in the range of 2 to 7 microns, and coating weights are 0.6 to 2.0 mg/sq cm. Oxidation testing was performed in air at temperatures to 1255 K in both static and hypersonic flow environments. The degree of oxidation protection provided by the coatings is determined from weight change measurements made during the testing and post test compositional analyses. Temperature-dependent total normal emittance data are also presented for four coating/substrate combinations. Both types of coatings provided excellent oxidation protection for the exposure conditions of this investigation. Total normal emittances were greater than 0.80 in all cases.
Stress corrosion data for titanium alloys in aqueous, hot salt, and nitrogen dioxide environments
This research was conducted to determine a post-processing technique to optimize mechanical and material properties of a number of Titanium based alloys and aluminides processed via Melt Overflow Solidification Technique (MORST). This technique was developed by NASA for the development of thin sheet titanium and titanium aluminides used in high temperature applications. The materials investigated in this study included conventional titanium alloy strips and foils, Ti-1100, Ti-24Al-11Nb (Alpha-2), and Ti-48Al-2Ta (Gamma). The methodology used included micro-characterization, heat-treatment, mechanical processing and mechanical testing. Characterization techniques included optical, electron microscopy, and x-ray texture analysis. The processing included heat-treatment and mechanical deformation through cold rolling. The initial as-cast materials were evaluated for their microstructure and mechanical properties. Different heat-treatment and rolling steps were chosen to process these materials. The properties were evaluated further and a processing relationship was established in order to obtain an optimum processing condition. The results showed that the as-cast material exhibited a Widmanstatten (fine grain) microstructure that developed into a microstructure with larger grains through processing steps. The texture intensity showed little change for all processing performed in this investigation.
The test programs conducted by several aerospace companies and NASA, summarized in this paper, studied several titanium materials previously identified as having high potential for application to supersonic cruise airplane structures. These studies demonstrate that the temperature (560 K) by itself produced no significant degradation of the materials. However, the fatigue resistance of titanium-alloy structures, in which thermal and loading effects are combined, has been studied insufficiently. The predominant topic for future study of fatigue problems in Mach 3 structures should be the influences of thermal stress particularly, the effects of thermal stress on failure location.
To study the effects of atmospheric species on the fatigue crack growth behavior of an a+B titanium alloy (Ti 6-2-2-2-2) at room temperature and 177 C, fatigue tests were performed in laboratory air, ultrahigh vacuum, and high purity water vapor, oxygen, nitrogen and helium at various partial pressures. Accelerated fatigue crack growth rates in laboratory air compared to ultrahigh vacuum are linked to the damaging effects of both water vapor and oxygen. Observations of the fatigue crack growth behavior in ultrahigh purity environments, along with surface film analysis using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), suggest that multiple crack-tip processes govern the damaging effects of air. Three possible mechanisms are proposed: 1) at low pressure (less than 10(exp -1) Pa), accelerated da/dN is likely due to monolayer adsorption on crack-tip surfaces presumably resulting in decreased bond strengths at the fatigue crack tip, 2) for pressures greater than 10(exp -1) Pa, accelerated da/dN in oxygen may result from oxidation at the crack tip limiting reversible slip, and 3) in water vapor, absorption of atomic hydrogen at the reactive crack tip resulting in process zone embrittlement.
The kinetics of the reaction between the silicon carbide fibers and the titanium-based alloy matrix was investigated at temperatures from 800 to 1000 C for several titanium-based alloys (including Ti-1100 alloy and BETA 21S) and unalloyed Ti, reinforced with coated silicon carbide fiber SCS-6. The reaction zone growth kinetics was studied by exposing vacuum encapsulated samples to temperatures from 700 to 1000 C for times up to 150 hrs, followed by SAM observations of samples which were polished perpendicular to the fiber axis and etched. It was found that the reaction zone growth kinetics of the alpha (hcp) and beta (bcc) phases of unalloyed titanium reacting with SCS-6 fibers exhibited different values of the apparent activation energy and of the preexponential factor. Additions of other metals to Ti was found to slow down the reaction kinetics. Among the alloys studied, the Ti-1100 was the slowest reacting conventional alloy and the Ti-14Al-21Nb (in wt pct) was the slowest overall.
Plasma sprayed coatings of pure silver and of composite materials containing silver were investigated as possible self lubricating coatings for titanium alloys in air at 430 C. Pure silver provided low friction but was prone to severe plastic deformation and excessive transfer except in coating thicknesses of 0.02 mm or less. Additions of nichrome, calcium fluoride, and glass to silver were all beneficial in reducing plastic deformation and otherwise improving the coatings. The longest coating wear life, low wear of Ti alloy pins in sliding contact with the coatings, and a steady friction coefficient of 0.19 were obtained with a four component coating of 0.17 mm thickness. The coating composition, in weight percent is 30 nichrome-30 Ag-25 CaF2-15 glass.