Modification of the Structure and Properties of the Surface of Titanium VT1-0 after Electron Beam Processing

Abstract

In this work, the surface of commercially pure titanium grade VT1-0 was strengthened by electron beam treatment, which significantly increased the fatigue life of the material. The structural and phase states and defect substructure of titanium subjected to cyclic fatigue tests were studied using scanning and transmission electron diffraction microscopy. It was shown that the surface layer formed as a result of electron beam irradiation contains micropores oriented parallel to the sample surface. Irradiation of commercially pure titanium VT1-0 with a high-intensity pulsed electron beam under the conditions (16 keV, 25 J/cm², 150 µs, 3 pulses, 0.3 s^–1) leads to grain refinement and the formation of an intragranular substructure, i.e., to the development of additional structural levels in the submicron and nanometer range in the surface layer.