Production of Ti-10V-2Fe-3Al for Aerospace Application from Ti-Al Pre-Alloyed Powder

Titanium is found in its raw form in nature mainly in rutile, ilmenite, and anatase which appears in abundant quantities in the earth crust. However, its extraction through the conventional process is still very expensive. Powder metallurgy has been used as an alternative technique for production of titanium alloys parts due to its low cost compared with conventional melting techniques. The process involves the use of powders under high pressure and temperature. Using this technique, Ti-10V-2Fe-3Al samples were produced from Ti-Al pre-alloyed powder with additions of different contents of aluminum in order to study the influence of aluminum particles on the formation of residual porosity. After cold uniaxial and isostatic pressing and sintering at 1100°C and 1400oC, samples were characterized by SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy), XRD (X-ray Diffraction), EDS (Energy Dispersive Spectrometry) and density analyses. Sintered samples presented homogeneous microstructure and increased densification due to increased content of Ti-Al pre-alloyed powder.