Effect of Microstructure on the Fatigue Crack Propagation Behavior of TC4-DT Titanium Alloy

This paper focused on the fatigue crack growth behavior of TC4-DT titanium alloy with different microstructures. Heat treatments were performed to produce different microstructures, which varied in α lamella width and cluster size. The fatigue crack propagation route was observed for different microstructures. The deformation characteristic of the crack tip plastic zone was analyzed. The results demonstrated that, for adequate mechanical properties of the alloy, the microstructure formed after performing two treatments (first, air cooling from the β-phase field, and then annealing at 550 °C for 4 h) exhibited a better fatigue anti-crack propagation ability. This result was related to the existing higher plastic deformation field in the crack tip. Wide α lamellae and coarse α colonies were found to contribute to the improvement of the fracture toughness.