Ultrasonic Signal Attenuation in Engine Titanium Alloys

Abstract

Titanium alloys are widely used in critical rotating components for jet engine applications. Because of the important role they play in overall flight safety, it is important that the components be free of defects which can lead to failure. In light of this requirement, titanium components are typically inspected several times during the production process. One of the methods used is ultrasonic inspection. However, titanium is an ultrasonically noisy material which can lead to false indications or missed flaws. In an effort to understand the relationship between microstructure and detectability, the Engine Titanium Consortium completed an extensive study of the fundamental properties of titanium materials. This study focused on Ti -6A1 -4V and Ti-17 (Ti-5 wt.% Al-2 wt.% Sn-2 wt.% Zr-4 wt.% Cr-4 wt.% Mo), two common alloys used in jet engine applications. The results of this work provided needed data and samples to other technical tasks in the Engine Titanium Consortium. A summary of the findings is provided in this document.