The core aim of this research project was to improve understanding of the effects of microstructure and crystallographic texture on the high strain rate plastic deformation behaviour of the industrially important Titanium alloy, Ti-6Al-4V. To facilitate this study, four rolled plates of Ti-6Al-4V, with varying thermo-mechanical processing histories, were provided by TIMET Corp., the world’s largest supplier of Titanium product. To determine the nature of each plate’s microstructure and the crystallographic texture of the dominant α phase, the four Ti-6Al-4V plates were microstructurally characterised using techniques such as optical microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). To determine the effects of the measured microstructures and textures on the strain rate dependent plastic deformation behaviour of the four Ti-6Al-4V plates, uniaxial compression and tension tests were carried out in the three orthogonal material orientations at quasi-static (10^-3 s^-1) and high strain rates (10^3 s^-1) using a standard electro-mechanical test device and split-Hopkinson pressure bars (SHPB), respectively. To provide further understanding of the effects of microstructure and texture on the plastic deformation behaviour of Ti-6Al-4V, this time under complex impact loading conditions, the classic Taylor impact experiment was adapted to include an optical measurement and geometry reconstruction technique. A novel experimental setup was designed that consists of an ultra-high speed camera and mirror arrangement, allowing the Taylor impact specimen to be viewed from multiple angles during the experiment. Using the previously mentioned optical measurement and geometry reconstruction technique, it was then possible to gain valuable, previously unobtainable, data on the deformation history of Taylor impact specimens in-situ, such as the major/minor axes of the anisotropically deforming elliptical specimen cross-sections as a function of time and axial position, true strain as a function of time and axial position, and the true strain rate as a function of axial position. The technique was verified by testing a specimen cut from the in-plane material orientation of a clock-rolled high purity Zirconium plate. The output measurements from a post-deformation image frame were compared with measurements of the recovered specimen made using a coordinate measurement machine (CMM), with analysis showing excellent agreement between the two techniques. The experiment was then carried out on specimens cut from the two orthogonal in-plane material orientations of one of the four Ti-6Al-4V plates. Analysis of the data from these experiments gave significant insight into the plastic deformation behaviour of macroscopically textured Ti-6Al-4V under complex impact loading. Recovered Ti-6Al-4V specimens from the outlined Taylor impact experiments were then sectioned along specific planes and microstructurally characterised using EBSD, with comparisons made between the pre and post-deformation microstructures. From this analysis, and the previously discussed geometry reconstruction technique, insight was gained into the effects of micro-texture on the general anisotropic plastic deformation behaviour of Ti-6Al- 4V plate materials and in particular the role of micro-texture on the formation of deformation twins. Finally, the understanding gained from these experiments, and a detailed review of the literature, was used to inform a novel, physically based material modelling framework, capable of capturing the effects of microstructure and texture on the strain rate and temperature dependent plastic deformation behaviour of Ti-6Al-4V. The model was implemented in the computational software package, MATLAB, and verified by comparison with the mechanical characterisation results from one of the Ti-6Al-4V plates. A number of frameworks are discussed for implementing the new Ti-6Al-4V model within finite element (FE) analysis software packages, such as ABAQUS, LS-DYNA and DEFORM. It is hoped that the new Ti-6Al-4V model can be used to optimise the design of Ti-6Al-4V components and structures for impact loading scenarios.

A liga Ti-6Al-4V tem sido usada com sucesso como biomaterial com aplicações nos campos da odontologia e ortopedia. As características da liga Ti-6Al-4V que a tornaram um material interessante são sua boa resistência à corrosão em meio biológico, combinada com um excelente grau de biocompatibilidade. Os efeitos biológicos a longo prazo dos íons metálicos resultantes da lenta lixiviação dos implantes de titânio não estão completamente entendidos. É conhecido que os íons titânio são considerados agentes químicos cancerígenos, os íons alumínio causam desordem neurológicas e os íons vanádio estão associados com distúrbios enzimáticos, entre outros problemas. O recobrimento das ligas de titânio por óxido de titânio (TiO2) pode atuar como uma barreira química para os íons lixiviados da superfície metálica da liga, além deste óxido ser um bom osseoindutor. O processo de aspersão térmica é amplamente empregado na aplicação de recobrimentos por óxidos. Uma vez que este processo acontece em altas temperaturas, onde partículas fundidas ou semi-fundidas aderem ao substrato, pode ocorrer difusão localizada. O objetivo deste estudo é caracterizar a interdifusão dos elementos de liga através das camadas superficiais do sistema Ti-6Al-4V/TiO2. Os recobrimentos de TiO2 foram preparados pela técnica de aspersão por plasma. A zona recoberta mostrou pequena porosidade distribuída por toda a camada e algumas trincas radiais. Adicionalmente, uma grande quantidade de buracos foi observada na região entre-camadas. Neste trabalho, a interface Ti-6Al-4V/TiO2 foi estudada por microscopia eletrônica de varredura. Os perfis de difusão do Ti, Al, V e O nas camadas superficiais da amostra recoberta foram obtidos por microanálise semi-quantitativa por energia dispersiva de raios-X. A caracterização química superficial do lado substrato depois da deposição de TiO2 mostrou a formação localizada de TiO. Na região entre-camadas foram observados os perfis de difusão característicos com forma de S para o Ti, V e O. O perfil de difusão do Al mostrou um pico na região entre-camadas indicando um acúmulo de Al2O3 nos buracos presentes nesta zona. O TiO2 foi identificado como o maior constituinte no lado revestimento. Pequenas quantidades de Al e V foram também detectadas homogeneamente distribuídas dentro do depósito. A presença do Al e V (metais tóxicos) na superfície externa do depósito indica que estes metais não competem com a oxidação da camada depositada indicando um efeito desmascarante da superfície da liga metálica pelo óxido superficial TiO2. / Ti-6Al-4V alloy has been used with some success as biomaterial with applications in the field of dentistry and orthopaedics. The features with make the Ti-6Al-4V alloy such an interesting material are its good corrosion resistance in the biological environment, combined with an excellent degree of biocompatibility. The long-term biological effects of the slowly leaching of metal ions from titanium implants are not completely understood. It is known that the titanium ions are considered chemical carcinogen, aluminium ions cause neurological disorders and, vanadium ions are associated with irreversible enzymatic disturbance, among other problems. Titanium oxide (TiO2) coatings on titanium alloys can act as a chemical barrier for ions leaching from the metallic alloy surface, beside the fact that this oxide is a very good osteoinductor. The thermal spray process is widely used to apply oxide coatings. Once this is a high temperature process where molten or semi-molten particles impinge upon the substrate, localized diffusion can occur. The aim of this study is characterize the inter-diffusion of the alloying elements through the surface layers of the system Ti-6Al-4V/TiO2. The TiO2 coatings were prepared by the plasma spray technique. The coated zone showed some porous distributed in all layer and a few radial cracks. Additionally, large amount of holes were observed in the interlayer region. In this work, the interface Ti-6Al-4V/TiO2 was studied by scanning electron microscopy. Diffusion profiles of Ti, Al, V and O in the surface layers of coated samples were measured by semi-quantitative energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis. Chemical surface characterization of the substrate side after the TiO2 deposition showed the localized formation of TiO. At the interlayer region was observed the characteristic S shape diffusion profiles for Ti, V and O. The Al diffusion profile showed a peak in the interlayer region indicating anaccumulation of Al2O3 into the holes present in this zone. TiO2 was identified as the major component in the coating side. Small amounts of Al and V were also detected homogeneously distributed inside the deposit. Presence of Al and V (toxic metals) on the external surface of the deposit indicated that these metals did not compete with the oxidation of the deposited layer indicating a non-masking effect of metallic alloy surface by the TiO2- surface oxide.

The optimisation of compressor stage aerofoil and fan blade design remains an important area of titanium alloy research and development for aerospace gas turbines. Such research has important implications for critical and sensitive component integrity and efficiency. In particular, a better understanding of how deformation twinning interacts with microstructural features in titanium alloys is required, because such twinning facilitates plastic deformation at a higher strain rate than dislocations. To investigate this behaviour, commercial purity titanium and the titanium alloy Ti–6Al–4V were subjected to ballistic impact testing at room temperature with a high strain rate of 10³s⁻¹. In addition, a detailed analysis was conducted of three manufacturing processes of Ti–6Al–4V (wt. %) that are likely to cause deformation twinning: metallic shot peening, laser shock peening and deep cold rolling. The results presented in this thesis have furthered the understanding of the role of deformation twinning in the plastic deformation of α-phase titanium. Key findings of the research include the characterisation of deformation twinning types and the conditions that favour certain deformation twinning types. From the analysis of the ballistic testing of commercial purity titanium, the first definitive evidence for the existence of {112‾4} twinning as a rare deformation twinning mode at room temperature in coarse-grained commercial purity titanium is presented. In addition, the ballistic testing results of the Ti–6Al–4V alloy highlighted very different deformation twinning characteristics. Commercial purity titanium deformed plastically by a combination of {101‾2} and {112‾1} tensilve twinning and {112‾4} and {112‾2} compression twinning modes. By contrast, the deformation twinning of Ti–6Al–4V was limited to only the {101‾2} and {112‾1} tensile twinning modes. The two tensile deformation twinning types have very different morphologies in equiaxed fine grained Ti–6Al–4V. {112‾1} deformation twins span multiple grain boundaries and {101‾2} deformation twins reorient entire grains to a twinned orientation. This observation provides evidence for whole grain twinning of equiaxed fine grained Ti–6Al–4V by {101‾2} twinning. Grain boundary interactions between various deformation twinning types and alpha phase grain boundaries in commercial purity titanium and Ti–6Al–4V are reported and analysed. In commercial purity titanium {101‾2} as well as other deformation twinning types were observed interacting across alpha phase boundaries and higher angle alpha phase grain boundaries. The analyses of the manufacturing processes of Ti–6Al–4V highlight the very different dislocation and deformation twinning structures in surfaces processed by these techniques. A notable feature of material processed by laser shock peening is the almost complete absence of deformation twinning, contrasting with the frequent observation of extensive deformation twinning observed in the material processed by metallic shot peening and deep cold rolling. Therefore, the findings suggest that there is a strain rate limit above which deformation twinning is suppressed. The implications of this research are that a better understanding of the conditions that that favour certain deformation twinning types or propagation behaviours will enable more accurate plasticity modelling and better alloy design. This is important for the design and the manufacturing of titanium components and the high strain rate deformation to which titanium components in aerospace gas turbines can be subjected because of bird strike, foreign object debris ingestion or fan blade failures.

Thesis (MScEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aerospace industry actively pursues innovation, especially in materials and their use in new applications, to improve their aircraft as well as their competitive position. Ti-6Al-4V has been available now for more than 50 years. Yet, in the new generation of aircraft using structural composites, a dramatic increase in the proportion of Ti-6Al-4V will be seen along with emerging application in automotive and chemical industries. This material possesses superior material properties compared to conventional materials such as steel and aluminium, although it is at the expense of machinability. Researchers are therefore actively searching for improved cutting technologies to improve production rates for Ti-6Al-4V. At higher cutting speeds than the industry norm of 60 - 90 m/min, machining becomes a challenge, resulting in low productivity on titanium parts. The limiting factor in the machining of Ti-6Al-4V is high tool temperatures of the order of 1000oC, caused by its resistance to absorb heat and good mechanical strength at elevated temperatures. The result is extreme temperatures that are concentrated on the cutting edge of the tool. The challenge to improve the tool life is therefore focused on removing heat from the insert. Liquid nitrogen was identified as a good candidate as coolant with the additional advantage of being environmentally friendly. The research presented investigates the use of a gravity feed enclosed liquid nitrogen cooling system to improve the tool life of the cutting inserts. The liquid nitrogen is contained on the insert rake face by means of a tool cap. To improve the effectiveness of the cooling method, a polycrystalline diamond (PCD) insert was used. This insert has a considerably higher thermal conductivity that aids in cooling the cutting edge. Tungsten carbide inserts are used for benchmark testing. The round tungsten carbide inserts with conventional cooling performed exceptionally well for machining titanium compared to square inserts, yielding exceptional tool life improvements while significantly increasing the material removal rate. Positive results were recorded with the liquid nitrogen cooling system when used with the polycrystalline diamond cutting insert. A number of far reaching performance issues are identified relating to the design of the tool cap that hindered clear scientific outputs. From a research perspective, the project makes a contribution to the knowledge base in this field. Additionally a new approach in cooling was investigated, resulting in clear indications of design changes required. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die lugvaart industrie streef aktief innovasie na, veral op die gebied van materiale en hul gebruike, om hul vliegtuie en kompeterende posisie in die mark te verbeter. Ti-6Al-4V is al vir meer as 50 jaar beskikbaar. ‘n Drastiese verhoging in die aanvraag na Ti-6Al-4V deur die lugvaart, motor en chemiese industrieë word verwag wanneer die volgende geslag vliegtuie wat koolstofvesel as strukturele materiaal begin gebruik, in produksie gaan. Die materiaal het beter materiaaleienskappe as konvensionele materiale soos staal en aluminium, maar dit kom egter teen die prys van masjieneerbaarheid. Ti-6Al-4V se masjienering bo die industrie norm van 60 – 90m/min is ‘n groot uitdaging. Navorsers soek daarom deurentyd na verbeterde sny tegnologieë om die produksie tempo van Ti-6Al-4V te verbeter. Die beperkende faktor vir Ti-6Al-4V masjienering is die temperatuur wat genereer word. Die weerstand van die materiaal om hitte te absorbeer en sy goeie meganiese eienskappe veroorsaak dat temperature in die beitel 1000oC bereik. Hierdie temperature word egter op die snykant van die beitel gekonsentreer. Die uitdaging is dus om hierdie temperature in die beitel te beheer. Vloeibare stikstof is geïdentifiseer as ‘n goeie kandidaat vir verkoeling met die bykomende voordeel dat dit omgewingsvriendelik is. Die navorsing wat hier uiteengesit word, ondersoek die gebruik van ‘n geslote kamer beitelverkoelingstelsel wat deur gravitasie met vloeibare stikstof voorsien word om die beitel leeftyd te verbeter. Die oppervlak van die beitel word in hierdie konsep direk aan die vloeibare stikstof blootgestel. Om die effektiwiteit van die stelsel te verbeter word van PCD beitels gebruik gemaak. Die beitel se verbeterde hittegeleidingsvermoë help om die beitel se snykant koel te hou. Tungstenkarbied beitels word gebruik om ‘n standaard te stel vir eksperimentele analise. Die ronde tungstenkarbied beitels en konvensionele verkoeling het verstommend goed presteer vir Ti-6A-4V masjienering in vergelyking met vierkantige beitels. Die materiaalverwyderingstempo is aansienlik verhoog sonder om die beitel se leeftyd in te boet. Positiewe resultate is waargeneem met die vloeibare stikstof sisteem saam met die PCD beitels. ‘n Aantal verreikende uitdagings is geïdentifiseer wat suiwer wetenskaplike afleidings bemoeilik. Hierdie probleme kan almal aan die ontwerp van die toerusting toegeskryf word. Die werk lewer egter steeds ‘n bydrae tot die kennis in die veld. ‘n Bykomende benadering vir verkoeling is ondersoek wat duidelik ontwerp-veranderings aandui.

Submitted by Regina Correa (rehecorrea@gmail.com) on 2016-10-03T18:50:36Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DissNZB.pdf: 8463882 bytes, checksum: 493c4ee9ac0735d4fab21c75b50bef13 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-10-10T14:21:16Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DissNZB.pdf: 8463882 bytes, checksum: 493c4ee9ac0735d4fab21c75b50bef13 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-10-10T14:21:24Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DissNZB.pdf: 8463882 bytes, checksum: 493c4ee9ac0735d4fab21c75b50bef13 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-10-10T14:21:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DissNZB.pdf: 8463882 bytes, checksum: 493c4ee9ac0735d4fab21c75b50bef13 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-12-18 / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / Friction Riveting is an innovative spot joining technology for metal-polymer hybrid structures. This MSc thesis provided for the first time in the literature, a fundamental understanding on the Friction Riveting process for metal-thermoset composites joints. Joints of Ti-6Al-4V rivet and pultruded glass fiber reinforced thermoset polyester part were produced under three joining conditions with different heat input. Thorough analytical techniques were used to understand the physics of the process and the effect of the energy input on the final microstructure of the joined parts, the physico-chemical changes in the composite and the local and global mechanical properties of the joints. The process temperature reached values up to 761 ± 2°C indicating intrinsic degradation of the composite, formation of a softened/molten glass interlayer between the rivet and the composite and complex metallurgical transformations in the metallic rivet. Through monitoring of the process temperature and torque, an unstable friction regime was observed for FricRiveting of pultruded thermoset composites leading to distinguished extents of composite degradation. The microstructure of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy changed across the length of the rivet, from the equiaxed morphology to acicular structures in the rivet tip, where plastic deformation occurred. Three microstructural zones were proposed for each joint part including two thermo-mechanically affected zones and a heat affected zone. Microhardness mapping was performed in the metallic rivet evidencing an increase from the center to the tip of the rivet, with a hardness increment of over 20% compared to the base material (HVTi6Al4V= 300- 320 HV). The glass interphase consolidated in the metallic surface reached values of up to 974 HV followed by a drastic decrease to 24 HV in the polyester matrix located out of the joint area. The ultimate bearing strength ranged between 60 MPa and 166 MPa. Lesser composite degraded areas led to stronger joints. Two failure modes were observed combining initial composite bearing followed by final failure through shear of the rivet with partial rivet pullout or by full rivet pull-out. Complex failure micro-mechanisms were observed including the combination of cohesive and adhesive failures through the glass layer and the damaged composite interface. Friction-riveted joints achieved an ultimate lap shear strength of up to 80% to that of a similar bolted joint. A case study for a presumptive truss bridge application of friction-riveted joints showed a necessary of 92 rivets per truss node, 43% less than previous studies and with potential for further optimization. / Rebitagem por Fricção é uma tecnologia de união pontual inovadora para estruturas híbridas metal-polímero. Esta tese de mestrado apresenta pela primeira vez na literatura um entendimento aprofundado do processo de Rebitagem por Fricção para juntas de metal e compósito termofixo. Juntas de rebite de Ti-6Al-4V e componente pultrudado de poliéster termofixo reforçado com fibra de vidro foram produzidas seguindo três condições de processo com diferentes aportes térmicos. Diversas técnicas analíticas foram utilizadas para entender a física do processo e o efeito do aporte térmico na microestrutura final dos componentes unidos, mudanças físico-químicas no compósito, formação de camada vítrea intermediária entre o compósito e o rebite metálico e transformações metalúrgicas. Através do monitoramento da temperatura processual e do torque, um regime friccional não estável foi observado para a Rebitagem por Fricção de compósito pultrudado termofixo resultando em distintas extensões da degradação do compósito. A microestrutura da liga de Ti-6Al-4V transforma-se ao longo da secção transversal do rebite, de uma morfologia equiaxial no centro do rebite para uma estrutura acicular em sua extremidade, onde ocorre deformação plástica. Três zonas microestruturais foram propostas para cada componente da junta incluindo duas zonas termo mecanicamente afetadas e uma termicamente afetada. Mapa de microdureza foi realizado no rebite metálico evidenciando um aumento do centro para a extremidade do mesmo, próximo a 20% comparado com o material de base (HVTi6Al4V= 300-320 HV). A interfase vítrea consolidada na superfície do rebite metálico apresentou dureza em torno de 974 HV seguido de um drástico decaimento para 24 HV na matriz de poliéster localizada fora da região de união. A tensão máxima de apoio variou entre 60 e 166 MPa. Juntas com menor área degradada apresentaram os melhores desempenhos mecânicos em ensaio quase estático de cisalhamento. Dois modos de falha foram observados combinando um modo de falha inicial por deformação plástica severa no compósito seguida de falha final por cisalhamento no rebite metálico com parcial remoção do mesmo ou por remoção completa do rebite. Complexos micro mecanismos de falha foram observados incluindo a combinação de falha adesiva e coesiva através da interface entre interfase vítrea e compósito degradado. Juntas rebitadas por fricção atingiram resistência ao cisalhamento de 80% da obtida para juntas parafusadas. O estudo de caso para uma ponte hipotética treliçada revelou um número necessário de rebites de até 92 rebites por nó da ponte, 43% a menos que o encontrado em trabalhos anteriores, com potencial para futuras optimizações.

A liga Ti-6Al-4V tem sido usada com sucesso como biomaterial com aplicações nos campos da odontologia e ortopedia. As características da liga Ti-6Al-4V que a tornaram um material interessante são sua boa resistência à corrosão em meio biológico, combinada com um excelente grau de biocompatibilidade. Os efeitos biológicos a longo prazo dos íons metálicos resultantes da lenta lixiviação dos implantes de titânio não estão completamente entendidos. É conhecido que os íons titânio são considerados agentes químicos cancerígenos, os íons alumínio causam desordem neurológicas e os íons vanádio estão associados com distúrbios enzimáticos, entre outros problemas. O recobrimento das ligas de titânio por óxido de titânio (TiO2) pode atuar como uma barreira química para os íons lixiviados da superfície metálica da liga, além deste óxido ser um bom osseoindutor. O processo de aspersão térmica é amplamente empregado na aplicação de recobrimentos por óxidos. Uma vez que este processo acontece em altas temperaturas, onde partículas fundidas ou semi-fundidas aderem ao substrato, pode ocorrer difusão localizada. O objetivo deste estudo é caracterizar a interdifusão dos elementos de liga através das camadas superficiais do sistema Ti-6Al-4V/TiO2. Os recobrimentos de TiO2 foram preparados pela técnica de aspersão por plasma. A zona recoberta mostrou pequena porosidade distribuída por toda a camada e algumas trincas radiais. Adicionalmente, uma grande quantidade de buracos foi observada na região entre-camadas. Neste trabalho, a interface Ti-6Al-4V/TiO2 foi estudada por microscopia eletrônica de varredura. Os perfis de difusão do Ti, Al, V e O nas camadas superficiais da amostra recoberta foram obtidos por microanálise semi-quantitativa por energia dispersiva de raios-X. A caracterização química superficial do lado substrato depois da deposição de TiO2 mostrou a formação localizada de TiO. Na região entre-camadas foram observados os perfis de difusão característicos com forma de S para o Ti, V e O. O perfil de difusão do Al mostrou um pico na região entre-camadas indicando um acúmulo de Al2O3 nos buracos presentes nesta zona. O TiO2 foi identificado como o maior constituinte no lado revestimento. Pequenas quantidades de Al e V foram também detectadas homogeneamente distribuídas dentro do depósito. A presença do Al e V (metais tóxicos) na superfície externa do depósito indica que estes metais não competem com a oxidação da camada depositada indicando um efeito desmascarante da superfície da liga metálica pelo óxido superficial TiO2. / Ti-6Al-4V alloy has been used with some success as biomaterial with applications in the field of dentistry and orthopaedics. The features with make the Ti-6Al-4V alloy such an interesting material are its good corrosion resistance in the biological environment, combined with an excellent degree of biocompatibility. The long-term biological effects of the slowly leaching of metal ions from titanium implants are not completely understood. It is known that the titanium ions are considered chemical carcinogen, aluminium ions cause neurological disorders and, vanadium ions are associated with irreversible enzymatic disturbance, among other problems. Titanium oxide (TiO2) coatings on titanium alloys can act as a chemical barrier for ions leaching from the metallic alloy surface, beside the fact that this oxide is a very good osteoinductor. The thermal spray process is widely used to apply oxide coatings. Once this is a high temperature process where molten or semi-molten particles impinge upon the substrate, localized diffusion can occur. The aim of this study is characterize the inter-diffusion of the alloying elements through the surface layers of the system Ti-6Al-4V/TiO2. The TiO2 coatings were prepared by the plasma spray technique. The coated zone showed some porous distributed in all layer and a few radial cracks. Additionally, large amount of holes were observed in the interlayer region. In this work, the interface Ti-6Al-4V/TiO2 was studied by scanning electron microscopy. Diffusion profiles of Ti, Al, V and O in the surface layers of coated samples were measured by semi-quantitative energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis. Chemical surface characterization of the substrate side after the TiO2 deposition showed the localized formation of TiO. At the interlayer region was observed the characteristic S shape diffusion profiles for Ti, V and O. The Al diffusion profile showed a peak in the interlayer region indicating anaccumulation of Al2O3 into the holes present in this zone. TiO2 was identified as the major component in the coating side. Small amounts of Al and V were also detected homogeneously distributed inside the deposit. Presence of Al and V (toxic metals) on the external surface of the deposit indicated that these metals did not compete with the oxidation of the deposited layer indicating a non-masking effect of metallic alloy surface by the TiO2- surface oxide.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence of corrosion and fretting in 48 retrieved titanium-6aluminum-4vanadium and/or cobalt-chromium-molybdenum modular total hip prosthesis with respect to alloy material microstructure and design parameters. The results revealed vastly different performance results for the wide array of microstructures examined. Severe corrosion/fretting was seen in 100% of as-cast, 24% of low carbon wrought, 9% of high carbon wrought and 5% of solution heat treated cobalt-chrome. Severe corrosion/fretting was observed in 60% of Ti-6Al-4V components. Design features which allow for fluid entry and stagnation, amplification of contact pressure and/or increased micromotion were also shown to play a role. 75% of prosthesis with high femoral head-trunnion offset exhibited poor performance compared to 15% with a low offset. Large femoral heads (>32mm) did not exhibit poor corrosion or fretting. Implantation time was not sufficient to cause poor performance; 54% of prosthesis with greater than 10 years in-vivo demonstrated none or mild corrosion/fretting.

The objective of this study is to successfully deposit Titanium Ti-6Al-4V layers onto Ti-6Al-4V substrate using two new commercially available Cold Spray processes such as Low Pressure Cold Spray (LPCS) and Pulsed Gas Dynamic Spray (PGDS). The second objective of this work is to develop a technique to repair Titanium parts since there is currently no repair technique commercially available. It is envisioned that commercial cold spray systems could be used to repair gashes on Titanium components. The examination of both feedstock powders and coatings were performed by different techniques such as optical microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Porosity, hardness, adhesion strength, flattening ratio, wipe test, fracture surface, wear test, XRD and chemical composition of the coatings using EDS have been evaluated. Cold spray has shown to be a promising technique for the deposition of heat sensitive particles such as titanium. LPCS and PGDS both produced high quality coatings. Low porosity, high hardness, adhesion strength over 40 MPa, metallurgical bonding, similar to bulk material wear rate, no oxide and nitride phases inside coating were measured.

The titanium alloy, Ti-6Al-4V, is vastly studied and used in many applications because it has a transformation microstructure, which can be tailored for apt properties that are consistent up to 500°C. Compared to conventional steels, this alloy favours certain applications due to its high specific strength, hardenability, corrosion resistance, biocompatibility and weldability. Its weldability makes the alloy a good candidate for additive manufacturing (AM). Ti-6Al-4V parts are widely built by the AM process of electron beam melting (EBM). However, heat transfer remains crucial in EBM process. The high intensity localized, moving, electron beam heat source and the rapid self-cooling are critical, especially in thin parts/ sections. When thin sections are built by the EBM process, there will be microstructural variation in their build direction, which can lead to the variation of their mechanical properties. It is necessary to understand the microstructure and mechanical properties of thin sections when they are used as functional parts in various applications in aerospace, automotive, medical, etc. industries. The microstructure, tribological behaviour and mechanical properties of Ti-6Al-4V, as-built EBM thin plates were studied by means of various hardness, scratch and tensile testing. The hardness and scratch tests were performed on the thin plates to correlate the microstructural variation. In-situ micro tensile test was performed inside the scanning electron microscope (SEM), to see the sample’s deformation behaviour. Microstructural characterization revealed equiaxed grains in the transverse section and the longitudinal surface exhibited columnar grains elongated along the build direction. The size of the equiaxed grains are found to vary across the thickness of the plate. The indentation and scratch hardness also vary in correlation with the varying grain size across the plate’s thickness. The micro tensile results reveal that the tensile properties of the thin plate are comparable to that of its bulk Ti-6Al-4V counterpart.

Laser cladding is a more recent approach to repair of aviation components within a damage tolerant framework, with its ability to restore not simply the geometric shape but the static and fatigue strength as well. This research analysed the fatigue performance of Ti-6Al-4V that has undergone a laser clad repair, comparing baseline specimens with laser clad repaired, and repaired and heat treated specimens. First an understanding of the microstructure was achieved by use of BSE imagery of the substrate, clad repaired region and post heat treated regions. The substrate of the material was identified with large grains which compared to a repaired clad region with a much finer grain structure that did not change with heat treatment. Next, performance of the specimens under tensile fatigue loading was conducted, with the clad specimens experiencing unexpectedly high fatigue performance when compared to baseline samples; the post heat treated specimen lasting significantly longer than all other specimens. It is theorised that the clad may have contributed to an increase in fatigue resilience due to its fine microstructure, when compared to the softer, more coarse substrate. The heat treatment is likely to have relaxed any residual stresses in the specimens leading to a reduction in any potential undesirable stresses, without impacting the microstructure. Residual stress analysis using EDD was unproductive due to the unexpected coarse microstructure and did not provide meaningful results. Fractography using the marker-band technique was explored with some success, proving a feesable method for measuring fatigue crack growth through a specimen post failure. Unfortunately fatigue crack growth throughout the entire fatigue life was not possible due to the tortuous fracture surface and potentially due to the fine micro-structure of the clad, resulting in interrupted marker-band formation. Future research shall expand on this work with a greater focus on residual stress analysis and its impact on fatigue.