Scientists at Novosibirsk State Technical University (NSTU) have found a way to increase the crack resistance of titanium-aluminum alloys used in aircraft engine blades.
Lightweight and strong titanium aluminide-based alloys are in demand in the aviation industry, but their use is limited due to brittleness and degradation of properties at high temperatures. To increase crack resistance, iron, nickel, or cobalt are added to the alloy. However, these additives lead to the formation of secondary phases — by-products that are more stable and make the material brittle again. It is almost impossible to avoid their appearance during production.
Scientists have found a way to eliminate secondary phases using heat treatment. As Daria Lazurenko, one of the study's authors, noted, experiments showed that the secondary phase dissolves in the alloy when heated. This means that heat treatment can be effective in eliminating it.
To observe the transformation in real time, researchers used X-ray synchrotron radiation diffraction. This allowed them to track how the phase disappears directly during the heating process. Experiments showed that for alloys with iron additives, crack resistance increased by 30%.