An investigation on electron beam cold hearth melting of Ti64 alloy

The electron beam cold hearth remelting process has emerged as an new melting technology. It is used to produce premium quality titanium alloys for critical rotating parts of the aero-engine and to recycle the titanium scraps successfully. In the paper, the relationships between the melting rate and the chemical composition of Ti64 alloy the TiN dissolution ability were studied. The results show that at melting rate of 70, 100 and 140 kg/h, the Al volatilization losses of the EBCHR melted ingots are 22%, 16% and 12% respectively. The artificially added TiN inclusions in the feeding bar are completely removed by the electron beam cold hearth remelting process. The as-melted ingot has homogeneous columnar grains in the outer region and fine equi-axed grains in the center region.