Effect of Molybdenum Content on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Ti-Mo-Fe Alloys by Powder Metallurgy

Titanium has many limitations in coverage and frequency of application due to its expensive alloying elements and complex manufacturing process. The biocompatible Ti-Mo-Fe ternary beta titanium alloys were designed by replacing high-cost beta-stabilizer elements (V, Nb, Zr, etc.) with low-cost Mo and Fe elements. In addition, it was attempted to obtain a low-cost, high-strength beta-titanium alloy with 800 MPa or more by applying the powder metallurgy process technology to the Ti-Mo-Fe alloy system. The added Mo element has the effect of reducing the elastic modulus of the titanium alloy without reducing its strength. In this study, Ti-Mo-Fe alloys designed with different Mo contents were fabricated using a powder metallurgy process and analyzed in connection with microstructural properties, phase changes, and mechanical properties. As Mo contents are increased, the α-lath thickness of Widmanstätten decreases and the size of prior β grain decreases. It was confirmed that the hardness and tensile strength were excellent and were compared with the ingot material of the same alloy system.