Enhanced mechanical response of an ultrafine grained Ti–6Al–4V alloy produced through warm symmetric and asymmetric rolling

Abstract

An equiaxed ultrafine-grained (UFG) microstructure was successfully produced in a Ti–6Al–4V alloy with an average grain size of 110–230nm through symmetric and asymmetric warm rolling of a martensitic starting microstructure. The UFG material displayed a combination of ultrahigh strength and ductility at room temperature. Compared with the conventional symmetric rolling, the asymmetric rolling process led to a more pronounced effect of microstructure refinement and a higher tensile ductility. The optimum mechanical response was obtained though the asymmetric rolling at 70% reduction, offering an ultimate tensile strength of 1365MPa and a total elongation of ~23%. Apart from the magnitude of grain refinement, the inclination of basal texture component from the normal towards the rolling direction during asymmetric rolling and possible strain induced β to martensite transformation may concurrently contribute to a remarkable tensile strength-ductility balance.