Microplasticity at Room Temperature inα/βTitanium Alloys

The current understanding of room temperature microplasticity in alpha/beta titanium alloys is reviewed with a special emphasis on dual-phase engineering alloys. As the interplay between microstructure and deformation mechanisms governs both the microscale and macroscale mechanical response, a brief description of the main features of alpha/beta microstructures is first provided. Elastic and plastic deformation in individual phases is then described. The complex interactions that govern the effect of grain boundaries, phase interfaces and microtexture on deformation behaviour are reviewed. Crystal plasticity simulations have evolved over the past decade as a key technique to obtain a mechanistic understanding of the deformation of Ti alloys. Micromechanical aspects are emphasized with a discussion of input parameters required to achieve realistic constitutive modeling. As microplasticity is especially relevant in cyclic loading such as experienced in-service by components, the current understanding of the relation of this regime with fatigue and dwell-fatigue behavior is briefly summarized in the final section.