Intermetallic titanium aluminides based on the ordered g-TiAl phase have gained increasing interest as innovative high-temperature light-weight structural materials. They have found application in aerospace and automotive industries and are still subject of worldwide research and development activities. Their attractive properties perfectly match the engine manufacturers' demands. This review, bridges the gap from the development of the TNM alloy through structural characterization with sophisticated in and ex situ methods, engineering properties, manufacturing, and processing technologies to all aspects of application. Because one thing is clear, the material still has great potential.
Intermetallic TiAl alloys based on the γ-TiAl phase are already used as engineering light-weight high-temperature materials in aircraft and automotive engines. Thereby, they partly substitute the twice as heavy Ni-base superalloys. Present applications are, for example, blades in the low-pressure turbine of advanced aero-engines, turbine wheels for turbocharger systems of car diesel engines as well as engine parts used in racing cars. All these applications require balanced mechanical properties, i.e. certain ductility at room temperature as well as defined creep strength at elevated temperatures. The first part of this paper reviews the alloy design strategy, which was used for the development of a β-solidifying γ-TiAl-based alloy, the so-called “TNM alloy”, which exhibits an excellent hot-deformability. In the meantime, the TNM alloy with the nominal composition of Ti-43.5Al-4Nb-1Mo-0.1B (in atomic percent, at.%) is introduced in a particular eco-friendly and fuel-saving aero-engine, which is powering a medium-range aircraft since the beginning of 2016. In the second part of this work the microstructural parameters are highlighted, which influence the failure strain at room temperature and creep strength at elevated temperatures. It will be shown how the creep resistance can be improved by tailoring phase fractions as well as the spatial arrangement of the microstructural constituents.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.