Effect of W addition on phase transformation and microstructure of powder metallurgic Ti-22Al-25Nb alloys during quenching and furnace cooling

Powder metallurgic Ti2 AlNb alloys with W addition are sintered at 900, 1000, 1070 °C,and 1150 °C(i.e., in the O + B2, a_2+ B2 + O, a_2+ B2, and single B2 phase regions, respectively)for 12 h, followed by water quenching and furnace cooling. Comparisons of phase and microstructure between quenched and furnace-cooled W-modified alloys are carried out to illustrate the phase transformation and microstructure evolution during the cooling process. Furthermore, a comparison is also made between W-modified and W-free alloys, to reveal the function of the W alloying.W addition accelerates the solutions of a_2 and O phases during the high-temperature holding, and a Widmannsta¨tten B2 + O structure, which contributes to the properties, is induced by furnace cooling from all the phase regions. The Widmannsta¨tten structure includes a B2 matrix, primary O, and secondary O precipitates. However, W alloying refines the Widmannsta¨tten structure only when the alloys are solution-treated and then cooled from the single B2 phase. Although the hardness of the W-modified alloys is lower than that of the W-free alloys sintered in the same phase region, an enhancement of hardness, 489 ± 18 HV, is obtained in the alloy solution-treated in the single B2 phase region for only 0.5 h.