Titanium alloy bars, TC4 titanium alloy bars, are typically completed in three stages from ingot to finished bar.

1. Open Die Forging: The initial forging (open die) temperature is above the beta transformation point, at 150-250°C, where the plasticity of the casting structure is good. Initially, light and quick strikes should be applied to deform the ingot until the primary coarse crystal structure is broken. The degree of deformation must be maintained within the range of 20%-30%. The ingot is forged into the required cross-section and then cut into blanks of specified dimensions. After the casting structure is broken, plasticity increases. Recrystallization intensifies with increasing temperature, prolonged holding time, and grain refinement. To prevent the occurrence of recrystallization, the forging temperature must be gradually reduced as the grain refines, and the heating and holding time must be strictly controlled. 2. Multi-directional Repeated Upsetting and Drawing: This process starts forging at a temperature 80-120°C above the beta transformation point, alternating between 2-3 cycles of upsetting and drawing, while also alternating the axis and edges. This results in a very uniform recrystallized fine-grained structure with beta zone deformation characteristics across the entire blank cross-section. If the blank is rolled on a mill, this multi-directional upsetting and drawing may not be necessary. 3. Second Multi-directional Repeated Upsetting and Drawing: This is similar to the first multi-directional repeated upsetting and drawing, but the initial forging temperature depends on whether the semi-finished product after forging is a blank for the next process or a delivered product. If it is a blank for the next process, the initial forging temperature can be 30-50°C higher than the beta transformation temperature; if it is a delivered product, the initial forging temperature should be 20-40°C below the beta transformation temperature. Due to the low thermal conductivity of titanium, when upsetting or drawing the blank on free forging equipment, if the tool preheating temperature is too low, and the equipment's striking speed is low with a large degree of deformation, an X-shaped shear band often forms on the longitudinal or cross-section. This is especially true during non-isothermal upsetting on a hydraulic press. This occurs because the tool temperature is low, causing the surface layer of the metal blank to cool rapidly upon contact with the tool, and during deformation, the heat generated cannot conduct away quickly enough, resulting in a large temperature gradient from the surface to the center, leading to the formation of a strong flowing strain band in the metal. The greater the degree of deformation, the more pronounced the shear band becomes, ultimately leading to crack formation under opposing tensile stress. Therefore, when free forging titanium alloys, the striking speed should be faster, minimizing the contact time between the blank and the tool, and the tool should be preheated to a higher temperature, while also appropriately controlling the degree of deformation within the first stroke. During forging, the corners cool the fastest. Therefore, when drawing, the blank must be flipped multiple times, and the hammering force should be adjusted to avoid sharp angles. In hammer forging, light strikes should be applied in the initial stage, with a deformation degree not exceeding 5%-8%, and then the deformation amount can be gradually increased. Die forging is typically used to manufacture blanks that are close in shape and size to the finished product, followed by only heat treatment and cutting processing. The forging temperature and degree of deformation are fundamental factors determining the alloy's structure and performance. The heat treatment of titanium alloys differs from that of steel and does not play a decisive role in the alloy's structure. Therefore, the process specifications for the final step of titanium alloy die forging are particularly important.

08-20

2019

What is the heat treatment process for titanium alloy plates?

Common heat treatment methods include annealing, solution treatment, and aging treatment. Annealing is aimed at eliminating internal stress, improving plasticity, and stabilizing the microstructure to achieve better overall performance. Generally, the annealing temperature for α alloys and (α+β) alloys is selected to be 120-200°C below the (α+β)→β phase transformation point; solution treatment and aging involve rapid cooling from a high-temperature zone to obtain martensitic α′ phase and metastable β phase, followed by holding at a medium temperature to allow these metastable phases to precipitate, resulting in fine dispersed second phase particles such as α phase or compounds, achieving the goal of strengthening the alloy. Typically, the quenching of (α+β) alloys is performed at 40-100°C below the (α+β)→β phase transformation point, while metastable β alloys are quenched at 40-80°C above the (α+β)→β phase transformation point. The aging treatment temperature is generally 450-550°C. In summary, the heat treatment processes for titanium alloys can be categorized as: (1) Stress relief annealing: The goal is to eliminate or reduce residual stresses generated during processing, preventing chemical corrosion in certain corrosive environments and reducing deformation. (2) Full annealing: The aim is to achieve good toughness, improve processing performance, facilitate reprocessing, and enhance dimensional and microstructural stability. (3) Solution treatment and aging: The purpose is to increase strength; α titanium alloys and stable β titanium alloys cannot undergo strengthening heat treatment and are only subjected to annealing in production. (α+β) titanium alloys and metastable β titanium alloys containing a small amount of α phase can be further strengthened through solution treatment and aging. Additionally, to meet the special requirements of workpieces, various metal heat treatment processes such as double-layer annealing, isothermal annealing, β heat treatment, and deformation heat treatment are also used in industry.

07-24

2019

Description of titanium alloy plates and the application range of titanium materials in various industries.

Due to its corrosion resistance, mechanical properties, and process performance, titanium is widely used in many sectors of the national economy. Especially in chemical production, titanium is used to replace stainless steel, nickel-based alloys, and other rare metals as corrosion-resistant materials, which is of great significance for increasing output, improving product quality, extending equipment lifespan, reducing consumption, lowering energy costs, cutting costs, avoiding pollution, improving labor conditions, and enhancing productivity. In recent years, the scope of titanium used in the chemical industry in China has been continuously expanding, with annual increases in usage, making titanium one of the primary corrosion-resistant materials in chemical equipment. As a corrosion-resistant structural material used in chemical installations, titanium has established its position and is increasingly attracting the attention of engineering technicians as an ideal material in chemical equipment. (1) Chlor-alkali Industry The chlor-alkali industry is an important basic raw material industry, and its production and development have a significant impact on the national economy. This is because titanium's corrosion resistance to chloride ions is superior to that of commonly used stainless steel and other non-ferrous metals. Currently, titanium is widely used in the chlor-alkali industry to manufacture metal anode electrolytic cells, ion-exchange membrane electrolytic cells, wet chlorine coolers, refined brine preheaters, dechlorination towers, and chlorine gas cooling scrubbers. The main components of these devices were previously made from non-metallic materials (such as graphite, polyvinyl chloride, etc.), but the mechanical properties, thermal stability, and processing performance of non-metallic materials are not ideal, resulting in bulky equipment, high energy consumption, short lifespan, and affecting product quality and environmental pollution. (2) Soda Ash Industry Soda ash is one of the basic chemical raw materials, directly related to the development of the national economy. In the production process of soda ash, the gaseous media are mostly NH3 and CO2, while the liquid media are mostly NaCl, NH4Cl, NH4HCO3, and solutions with high Cl- concentration. The main equipment for carbonation reactions using carbonated drinks and cast iron materials, such as carbonation tower small tubes, hot mother liquor coolers, coolers, and crystallization external coolers, are all not corrosion-resistant, leading to severe corrosion leaks, with a lifespan not exceeding three years. Titanium and its alloys have many excellent properties such as light weight, high strength, strong heat resistance, and corrosion resistance, earning them the title of "the metal of the future" and making them a promising new structural material. Titanium and its alloys are not only very important in the aerospace industry but have also begun to be widely used in many industrial sectors such as chemical, petroleum, light industry, metallurgy, and power generation.

07-24

2019

Introduction to the performance of titanium alloy corrosion resistance

Titanium alloy is a highly reactive material, and titanium has good corrosion resistance in many corrosive media. As long as there is sufficient oxygen, even if the film is mechanically damaged, the film itself can immediately self-heal or regenerate. (1) The corrosion resistance of titanium is influenced by the surface oxide film, making this material more suitable for use in oxidative environments or places where oxygen is readily available. In reducing solutions, titanium will react with the solution to produce hydrogen gas. (2) Like all metals, when titanium comes into direct contact with different metals in an electrolyte, it will form a galvanic couple. After the galvanic couple is formed, the corrosion rate of one or both metals is much faster than before the couple was formed. In almost all cases, titanium is the more inert electrode of the galvanic couple, which increases the corrosion of the other metal. The degree of corrosion depends on the relative area ratio and the actual electrolyte used, so galvanic couple formation should be avoided when designing equipment. Titanium alloys (3) are generally only used in situations where the corrosion rate is very slow, so there is no need to provide corrosion tolerance when designing equipment. This allows for the use of thinner titanium plates for carbon-titanium containers, heat exchanger end boxes and tube sheets, pumps, valves, and other linings. Thin titanium tubes can also be used for tubular heat exchangers and thin titanium plates for plate heat exchangers to reduce equipment costs and improve heat exchange performance. Since the passivity of titanium depends on the presence of the oxide film, its corrosion resistance in oxidative solutions is significantly better than in non-oxidative solutions. Titanium can corrode at a higher rate in non-oxidative media. Therefore, titanium can be used in various concentrations of aqueous nitric acid below its boiling point. Similarly, it does not corrode in wet chlorine gas. In chloride solutions, such as sodium chloride and hypochlorite solutions, it also does not corrode. The oxide protective film on the surface of titanium is usually formed in contact with water; even a small amount of water or water vapor can generate the protective film. Therefore, if titanium is exposed to a completely anhydrous high-strength oxidative environment, rapid oxidation can occur, often leading to combustion. This phenomenon can occur in reactions between titanium and dry nitric acid and between titanium and dry chlorine gas. However, in such cases, as long as there is a minimal amount of moisture (even just 50 ppm), this corrosion can be avoided. There is no evidence that titanium produces pitting or stress corrosion in aqueous solutions of inorganic metal chlorides. In seawater, even under high-speed scouring, titanium also exhibits good corrosion resistance. Although it is reasonable to expect that titanium alloys would undergo significant corrosion in media such as sulfuric acid and hydrochloric acid, resulting in the generation of hydrogen gas, as long as there are small amounts of oxidizers present in the acid, a passivation film can form on the surface of titanium. Therefore, titanium exhibits corrosion resistance in mixed solutions of strong sulfuric and nitric acids, in mixed solutions of hydrochloric and nitric acids, and even in strong hydrochloric acid containing free chlorine gas. The presence of copper ions or iron ions in the solution can also reduce the corrosion rate of titanium, which is equivalent to alloying with precious metals or using anodic passivation techniques.

07-24

2019

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