Microstructure and hardness of subzero quenched and heat treated Ti-6Al-4V alloy

Abstract

Titanium is one of the most important materials nowadays with promising lightweight demanding applications. However, despite its high strength-to-weight ratio, high temperature stability and high corrosion resistance, it has relatively low hardness. It is shown in this work that enhanced hardness values could be obtained for Ti-6Al-4V Alloy after heat treatment consisting of subzero quenching in a medium made up of dry ice and alcohol, followed by an aging treatment. The proposed heat treatment resulted an increase of 25% in the hardness of the alloy, compared to 5% reported in literature.