Comparison of Microstructure and Properties of Ti-6Al-7Nb Alloy Processed by Different Powder Metallurgy Routes

The Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy was specially developed to replace the well-known Ti-6Al-4V alloy in biomedical applications due to supposed cytotoxicity of vanadium in the human body. This alloy is normally fabricated by conventional ingot metallurgy by forging bulk material. Nevertheless, powder metallurgy techniques could be used to obtain this alloy with specific properties. This is because by changing the processing parameters, such as the sintering temperature, it is possible to vary the porosity level and to tailor the final properties. This work deals with the production of the Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy by means of the master alloy addition variant of the blending elemental approach. The powder is processed by means of different powder metallurgy routes considering diverse processing conditions for each method. The materials are characterised in terms of microstructural features, relative density and hardness. Homogeneous microstructures as well as properties comparable to those of the wrought alloy are generally obtained.