Effect of yttrium on microstructure and mold filling capacity of a near-α high temperature titanium alloy

The addition of rare earth yttrium (Y) can improve the performances of high temperature titanium alloys, such as the tensile ductility, thermal stability and creep property, etc. However, few studies on the effect of Y on the castability of titanium alloys have been carried out, which is significant to fabrication of thin-walled complex titanium castings by investment casting. In this study, the microstructure and mold filling capacity of a Ti-1100 alloy with different Y additions (0, 0.1wt.%, 0.3wt.%, 0.5wt.% and 1.0wt.%) were investigated systematically through investment casting experiments, and the casting experiments were carried out in a centrifugal titanium casting machine. The microstructures of the alloy were observed via the optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The mold filling capacity was tested by using of a grid pattern and was evaluated by the number of segments completely filled by the cast alloy. The results indicate that the grain size is decreased and the mold filling capacity is improved significantly with increasing the addition of Y from 0 to 1.0wt.%. The average primary β grain size of Ti-1100 alloy is reduced from 250 μm to 50 μm and the mold filling capacity is increased from 61.5% to 100%. Considering the potential harmful effect on tensile properties of titanium alloys due to high concentrations of Y, it is suggested that Y addition should be about 0.3wt.%.