Influence of matrix microstructure on aging
response of near alpha titanium alloy (IMI834)
parent metal and welds on toughness
S. D. Meshram* and T. Mohandas
Aging of IMI834 welds results in toughness degradation due to interlath precipitation. It has been
observed that this phenomenon is predominant if the matrix microstructure is transformed beta.
Keywords: Toughness, Friction welding, Electron beam welding, Ti alloy
Introduction
Published by Maney Publishing (c) IOM Communications Ltd
Titanium alloys are employed extensively in aerospace
as they exhibit high specific strength and excellent
corrosion resistance. The alloys used fall into three
main classes, i.e. near alpha, alphazbeta and metastable
beta alloys. Near alpha alloys are employed in creep
critical applications. For an optimum combination of
creep and fatigue properties these alloys are used in the
bimodal microstructure consisting of equiaxed alphaz
transformed beta.1 The conventional heat treatment is to
solutionise below beta transus followed by stabilisation/
aging treatment at the temperature about 100uC above
the temperature of their operation. IMI 834 is one of the
near alpha alloys that is developed to operate at a
temperature of y600uC.2 The standard heat treatment
for the alloy consists of solution treatment at 1020uC
followed by aging at 700uC.3 Aging is performed to
stabilise the microstructure at the temperature of
operation.
Conventionally titanium are welded by fusion welding
routes such as electron beam welding, gas tungsten arc
welding, gas metal arc welding, plasma welding, etc.4 To
address the problem of microporosity in fusion welds5–11
solid state welding such as friction welding is gaining
importance.11,12 In addition to freedom from micro-
porosity friction welds exhibit very fine b grain size due
to the thermomechanical working during welding. In
both electron beam and friction welding the original
base metal microstructure is replaced by entirely trans-
formed beta microstructure. Aging of titanium alloy
welds is reported to lead to reduction in toughness.13–16
In this background, an investigation has been taken up
to understand the influence of matrix microstructure on
the aging response on toughness of IMI 834 welds.
Notch tensile strength and impact toughness of electron
beam and friction welds was evaluated in the as welded
and aged conditions. The parent metal was evaluated for
notch tensile strength and impact toughness in the
standard bimodal microstructure condition as well as in
the b heat treated condition in the as solution treated
Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory, Hyderabad-58, India
*Corresponding author, email suresh_uor@yahoo.co.in
ß 2011 Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining
Published by Maney on behalf of the Institute
Received 21 January 2009; accepted 25 March 2009
DOI 10.1179/174328409X439141
condition as well as in solution treatedzaged
conditions.
Experimental
The parent metal is a near alpha alloy conforming to
IMI 834 composition (Table 1). The microstructure of
the parent metal in the standard heat treatment
condition consists of equiaxed primary alpha in trans-
formed beta matrix (Fig. 1a). The parent metal in the b
heat treated consists of transformed beta microstructure
(Fig. 1b). The prior b grain size in b treated condition is
much coarser. Heat treatment details are furnished in
Table 2. Electron beam and friction welding was carried
out. Electron beam welding was carried out on 15 mm
thick plates in butt joint configuration. Friction welding
was carried on a continuous drive friction welding
machine employing rods of 22 mm diameter. Optimised
weld parameters for electron beam and friction welding
are given in Table 3.
The welds were subjected to post-weld aging treat-
ment at 700uC for 2 h. The heat treatment details are
given in Table 2.
Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy,
electron microprobe analysis, X-ray diffraction and
transmission electron microscopy were employed for
metallographic studies.
Notch tensile testing and charpy ‘V’ notch impact test
were performed employing specimens as per ASTM
standards with the notch located in the weld region.
Results and discussion
Metallography
The electron beam and friction welds exhibit martensitic
microstructure and the martensite lathes are coarser in
friction welds (Fig. 1c and d). The prior beta grain size
in electron beam welds is coarser as compared to that in
friction welds. Aging of welds did not show any change
in the microstructure at optical level.
Transmission electron microscopy examination of
friction welds revealed fine precipitates in the as welded
condition (Fig. 2a) and coarser precipitates in the post-
weld aged condition (Fig. 2b). Electron probe micro-
analysis of parent metal after aging (b-STA) revealed
interlath precipitation (Fig. 3b) that is not observed in
Materials Science and Technology 2011 VOL 27 NO 1 235
 Meshram and Mohandas Influence of matrix microstructure on aging response of IMI834
Published by Maney Publishing (c) IOM Communications Ltd

1 Microstructure of a parent metal (azb)-STA, b parent metal b- ST, c friction weld and d electron beam weld

Table 1 Parent metal composition

Elements C Sn Zr Si Mn Cr Ni Mo Al Cu Fe Nb H O N

wt-% 0.06 4.37 3.84 0.42 ,0.005 0.01 0.008 0.58 5.72 0.056 0.015 0.70 11* 944* 19*
*Parts per million b-transus: 1055uC.

b-ST (Fig. 3a). Scanning electron microscopy back Table 2 Nomenclature and respective heat treatment*
scatter image also shows formation of precipitates along
the lath boundaries in the case of post-weld aged friction Material Heat treatment Designation
welds as compared to as welded welds (Fig. 4). As the
Parent 1020uC/2 h/OQ (azb)-ST
precipitates are very fine they could not be analysed.
Parent 1020uC/2 h/OQz700uC/2 h/AC (azb)-STA
From the reported literature they are proposed to be fine Parent 1080uC/20 min/Ar C b-ST
b12,17–19 as well as silicides.12,20 X-ray diffraction showed Parent 1080uC/20 min/Ar Cz700uC/2 h/AC b-STA
peak splitting subsequent to aging supporting precipita- Weld z700uC/2 h/AC (post-weld aging) PWA
tion reaction during aging.
*ST: solution treated; STA: solution treated and aged; OQ: oil
quenching; AC: air cooling; ArC: argon cooling.
Mechanical properties
The impact toughness and notch tensile properties of the resulted in a drastic reduction in impact toughness. The
welds and parent metal are presented in Table 4. It is toughness of welds in the post-weld heat treated
observed that the impact toughness of friction welds condition is similar to that in b-STA condition. (azb)-
(12–13 J) and electron beam welds (10–13 J) are STA parent metal exhibited higher impact toughness
comparable in the as welded condition although scatter than the b-STA parent metal. Reduction in the notch
is predominant in electron beam welds. Post-weld aging tensile strength has also been observed in the post-weld
Table 3 Optimised weld parameters for electron beam and friction welding

Electron beam welds Friction welds

Welding speed, Voltage, Current, Friction force, Forging force, Burn-off length, Rotation speed,
m min21 V mA kN kN mm rev min21

1.00 55 105 7.9 38 10 1200

236 Materials Science and Technology 2011 VOL 27 NO 1

 Meshram and Mohandas Influence of matrix microstructure on aging response of IMI834

a as welded showing fine precipitates; b post-weld aged showing coarse precipitates

2 Transmission electron microscopy of welds
Published by Maney Publishing (c) IOM Communications Ltd

aged condition. The deleterious effect of aging on the
notch tensile strength is more pronounced in the electron
beam welds possibly due to coarser prior beta grain size
of electron beam welds compared to friction welds.
Fractographic examination of the impact samples
exhibited ductile fracture features in the as welded
condition (Fig. 5d and f) and brittle fracture features in
the post-weld aged condition (Fig. 5e and g). Fracture
features were ductile in the b-ST condition (Fig. 5b) and

3 Electron probe microanalysis back scattered images of

a b-ST parent metal and b b-STA parent metal showing a as welded; b post-weld aged showing precipitates
precipitates 4 Scanning electron microscipy BSE of friction welds

Materials Science and Technology 2011 VOL 27 NO 1 237

 Meshram and Mohandas Influence of matrix microstructure on aging response of IMI834
Published by Maney Publishing (c) IOM Communications Ltd

a (azb)-STA parent metal; b b-ST parent metal; c b-STA parent metal; d as welded friction weld; e post-weld aged fric-
tion weld; f as welded electron beam weld; g post-weld aged electron beam weld
5 Fractographs of impact toughness samples

238 Materials Science and Technology 2011 VOL 27 NO 1

 Meshram and Mohandas
Table 4 Impact toughness and notch tensile properties
Impact toughness, J
Without aging With aging
Friction weld 12,12,13 6,6,6
Electron beam weld 10,12,13 4,5,6
Parent metal (b) 09,09,10 6,6,6
Parent metal (azb) 16,14,14 7,8,8,8
a b-ST parent metal; b b-STA parent metal
6 Typical crack path in impact toughness sample
Published by Maney Publishing (c) IOM Communications Ltd
brittle in b-STA (Fig. 5c). Parent metal in the azb-STA
condition exhibited higher energy fracture features
(Fig. 5a) compared to that in b-STA (Fig. 5c). Crack
path examination revealed tortuous path in the as
welded condition (Fig. 6a) than that in post-weld aged
condition (Fig. 6b).
The observed low toughness of welds after aging is as
per the reported trends. It is to be noted that the aging
response on toughness is dictated by the base micro-
structure. This is evident from the trends on toughness
of parent metal in that, if the parent metal contains
transformed ‘b’ microstructure toughness deterioration
due to aging is predominant while such a trend is not
observed in respect of parent metal containing bimodal
microstructure consisting of transformed bzequiaxed
alpha. This could be due to smaller prior b grain size and
high ductility of the microstructure. Since the welds
contain only transformed b, these are prone to tough-
ness deterioration on aging. The toughness degradation
is due to interface weakening as a result of ‘b’ and
silicides precipitation along the a9/a lath boundaries
(Fig. 4). In transformed b microstructures precipitation
along lath boundaries would result in interface weaken-
ing leading to easy crack propagation.13–16,21 Thus the
observed toughness deterioration trends are related to
the matrix microstructure in that transformed beta
microstructures are more prone to toughness degrada-
tion due to interlath precipitation during aging. The
matrix microstructure effect can be attributed to higher
ductility of equiaxed alpha microstructures as compared
to transformed beta microstructure.1
Conclusion
The present study has revealed that the welds of IMI 834
are prone to deterioration in toughness when subjected
to aging. The toughness degradation is due to weakening
of a9 lath boundaries as a result of precipitation of b and
silicides. It has also been found that the reduction in
toughness is related to the base microstructure. Micro-
structures containing only transformed ‘b’ are prone to
toughness degradation, while bimodal microstructure
Influence of matrix microstructure on aging response of IMI834
Notch tensile strength, MPa
Without aging With aging
1506 1386
1567 925
… …
… 1412
containing equiaxed alphaztransformed ‘b’ are not
prone to such toughness degradation. This behaviour
could be probably due to finer prior ‘b’ grain size and
high ductility of these microstructures.
Acknowledgements
The authors express their gratitude to Defence Research
and Development Organization for the financial support
to carry out this programme. The authors are thankful
to Dr G. Malakondaiah, Director DMRL for his
continued encouragement and support. The authors
are thankful for the support extended by Surface
Fracture Analysis Group and Electron Microscopy
Group for metallurgical characterisation and to all
those who have directly or indirectly extended their help
in carrying out the studies.
References
1. J. P. Hirth: Met. Trans. A, 1977, 8A, 1165 –1176.
2. B. Borchert and M. A. Daeubler: Proc. 6th Conf. on ‘Titanium’,
(ed. P. Lacombe et al.), 467–472; 1988, Les Ulis, Societe Francaise
de Metallurgie.
3. R. Boyer, G. Welsch and E. W. Collings: ‘Material properties
handbook; titanium alloys’, 444; 1994, Materials Park, OH, ASM
International.
4. F. Karimzadeh, M. Salehi, A. Saatchi and M. Meratian: Mater.
Manf. Processes, 2005, 20, 205–219.
5. D. R. Mitchell: Weld. J., 1965, 61, 197s–199s.
6. A. Woolcock: Proc. 3rd Int. Conf. on ‘Titanium and titanium
alloys’, (ed. J. C. Williams and A. F. Belov), 3, 1189–1195; 1976,
New York, NY, AIME and Metals Park, OH, ASM International.
7. V. N. Zamkov and A. D. Shevelev: Avt. Svarka, 1976, 12, 50–54.
8. S. M. Gurevich, O. K. Nazarenko, V. N. Zamkov, V. E. Lokshin
and A. D. Shevelev: ‘Titanium ’80 science and technology’, (ed.
H. Kimura and O. Izumi), Vol. 4, 2347–2355; 1980, Warrendale,
PA, TMS-AIME.
9. T. Mohandas, D. Banerjee and V. V. Kutumba Rao: Met. Trans.
A, 1998, 30A, 789–798.
10. R. W. Broomfield: Proc. Conf. on ‘Designing with titanium’,
Bristol, UK, July 1986, The Institute of Metals, 69–75.
11. D. V. Lindh and G. M. Peshak: Weld. J., 1969, 48, 45s–56s.
12. R. W. Broomfield: Proc. Seminar on ‘Aerospace alloys and
fabrication technology’, Bangalore, India, December 1981,
Aeronautical Society of India, 44–47.
13. W. A. Baeslack, C. M. Banas: Weld. J., 1981, 60, 121s–130s.
14. J. C. Williams and M. Blackburn: Trans. ASM, 1967, 60, 373.
15. K. A. Bywater and J. W. Christian: Phil. Mag., 1972, 25, 1275.
16. M. A. D’yakova, E. A. L’vova and T. G. Potemkina:
Metallovedenie, I. Terenichekaja: Obrabotka Metallov. 1982, (2),
42–47.
17. R. W. Broomfield: Proc. Conf. on ‘Designing with titanium’,
Bristol, UK, July 1986, The Institute of Metals, 69–75.
18. D. V. Lindh and G. M. Peshak: Weld. J., 1969, 48, 45s–56s.
19. T. Mohandas: ‘Mechanical property studies on electron beam and
friction welds of an alpha-beta titanium alloy’, PhD thesis, Banarus
Hindu University, Varanasi, India, 1994.
20. T. Mohandas: ‘DMRL technical report’, DMRL TR-323, 2003.
21. T. Mohandas, D. Banerjee and V. V. Kutumba Rao: Mater. Sci.
Eng. A, 1998, A254, 147–154.
Materials Science and Technology 2011 VOL 27 NO 1 239