Abnormal aging behaviors induced by high-density dislocations for an ultra-high-strength titanium alloy prepared by laser-directed energy deposition

Additively manufactured high-strength titanium alloys generally possess equal strength and lower plasticity compared to wrought alloys owing to the different microstructures formed in the aging treatment. To examine the formation mechanism of these microstructures, an ultra-high-strength titanium alloy TB18(Ti-4.2Al-5V-5Cr-5Mo-1Nb) was prepared by laser direct energy deposition (LDED) and forging respectively, and the aging behaviors and microstructures were characterized and compared in depth. It is found that during aging, the precipitation of the LDEDed alloy is 1–2 h earlier than that of the wrought alloy, and precipitates primarily form at the reticular sub-grain boundaries. Fine short-rod α laths then form inside the sub-grains due to the inhibition of the reticulations. The sub-grain boundaries in LDEDed alloy are generated due to the local deformation and recovery of the inter-dendritic zone rich of Cr and O atoms and show high thermal stability in the solution treatment, which differs from that of the wrought alloys. These boundaries possess a dislocation density several times higher than that of the inner-grain zones and promote the prior precipitation of α laths with Type 2 orientations at the early stage of aging. In the tensile test of the aged alloys, the dislocations in the LDEDed alloy pile up at the α/β interface, which can cause stress concentration and damage the plasticity.