A mixture of massive and feathery microstructures of Ti48Al2Cr2Nb alloy by high undercooled solidification

A mixture of massive and feathery microstructures was observed in Ti48Al2Cr2Nb alloy subjected to the undercooled solidification rather than the heat treatments in most cases. Double recalescence events and primary β solidification confirmed that massive γ phase did not directly nucleate from the undercooled melt but formed during the solid-state transformations. It is believed that small white areas (aluminium-poor) along lamellar grain boundaries may be closely related to the formation of massive γ phase and feathery γ phase. High dislocation density and stacking faults were detected in massive γ phase by transmission electron microscopy. The high energy of defects and undercooling in the solid state phase transformation can provide sufficiently high driving force for the nucleation of massive γ phase.