Intermetallic titanium aluminides in aerospace applications – processing, microstructure and properties

After more than 30 years of fundamental research and development activities intermetallic titanium aluminides based on the ordered γ-TiAl phase have found applications in aerospace and automotive industries. The advantages of this class of innovative high-temperature lightweight materials are their low density, their good strength and creep properties, as well as their oxidation resistance up to 750 °C. A drawback, however, is their limited ductility at room temperature, which is reflected by a low plastic strain at fracture. Advanced engineering TiAl alloys, such as the β-solidifying so-called TNM alloy with a nominal composition of Ti-43.5Al-4Nb-1Mo-0.1B (in atomic percent), are complex multi-phase materials which can be processed by ingot or powder metallurgy, precision casting methods as well as additive manufacturing. Each production process leads to specific microstructures which can be altered and optimised by thermomechanical processing and/or subsequent heat treatments, whereby the knowledge of the occurring solidification processes and phase transformation sequences is essential. Therefore, thermodynamic calculations were conducted to predict the phase fraction diagrams. After experimental verification, these phase diagrams provided the base for the development of heat treatments to adjust balanced mechanical properties. To determine the influence of deformation and kinetic aspects, sophisticated ex- and in situ methods have been employed. Finally, the application of TiAl alloys in aerospace is reported.