Fracture Modes in a Binary Titanium Alloy

The scanning electron microscope has been used to investigate the fracture surfaces of Ti-Cr alloys, and special emphasis has been placed on the effects of the omega phase on the modes of fracture. It has been found that an alloy containing the athermal omega phase exhibits a different mode of fracture from that of an alloy containing the aged omega phase. The difference has been attributed to the presence of the strain-induced martensite phase in regions adjacent to the fracture in alloys containing the athermal omega phase. The fracture mode has also been investigated for alloys in which the omega phase was reverted by appropriate thermal treatments.