Strong and Ductile Ti-6Al-4V Alloy Produced by Hot Pressing of Ti-6Al-4V Swarf

Ti-6Al-4V (Ti-64) swarf is produced every day in commercial operations but its direct use for the fabrication of strong and ductile Ti-6Al-4V alloy is seldom reported. This study consolidated as-received Ti-64 swarf into near fully dense Ti-6Al-4V alloy by hot pressing. The microstructures and tensile mechanical properties of the hot-pressed Ti-64 alloy and the effect of subsequent solution treatment and ageing (STA) were studied. The hot-pressed Ti-64 achieved tensile yield strength (TYS) of 928–998 MPa, ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of 1076–1139 MPa and strain to fracture of 6.92–7.80%. The STA increased the TYS to 1103–1143 MPa and UTS to 1188–1223 MPa, accompanied by a decline in the strain to fracture to 5.32–6.48%. These tensile property data suggest that it is possible to directly consolidate Ti-6Al-4V swarf into a strong and ductile Ti-6Al-4V alloy by hot pressing for a variety of potential applications.