The Phase Transformations Induced by High-Pressure Torsion in Ti–Nb-Based Alloys

The study of the fundamentals of the α → ω and β → ω phase transformations induced by high-pressure torsion (HPT) in Ti–Nb-based alloys is presented in the current work. Prior to HPT, three alloys with 5, 10, and 20 wt% of Nb were annealed in the temperature range of 700–540°C in order to obtain the (α + β)-phase state with a different amount of the β-phase. The samples were annealed for a long time in order to reach equilibrium Nb content in the α-solid solution. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction techniques were used for the characterization of the microstructure evolution and phase transformations. HPT results in a strong grain refinement of the microstructure, a partial transformation of the α-phase into the ω-phase, and a complete β → ω phase transformation. Two kinds of the ω-phase with different chemical compositions were observed after HPT. The first one was formed from the β-phase, enriched in Nb, and the second one from the almost Nb-pure α-phase. It was found that the α → ω phase transformation depends on the Nb content in the initial α-Ti phase. The less the amount of Nb in the α-phase, the more the amount of the α-phase is transformed into the ω-phase.