Dissimilar joints between Ti-6Al-4V (Ti-64) and Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-2Mo-0.1Si (Ti-6242) were manufactured using linear friction welding. The weld quality, in terms of the microstructure and mechanical properties, was investigated after stress relief annealing (SRA) at 750 °C for 2 h and compared with the as-welded (AWed) results. The central weld zone (CWZ) microstructure in the AWed condition consisted of recrystallized prior-β grains with α’ martensite, which transformed into an acicular α+β structure after SRA. The hardness in the AWed condition was highest in the CWZ and decreased sharply through the thermomechanically affected zones (TMAZ) to the parent materials (PMs). After SRA, the hardness of the CWZ decreased, mainly due to tempering of the α’ martensite microstructure. Static tensile testing of the dissimilar welds in both the AWed and stress relief annealed (SRAed) conditions resulted in ductile fracture occurring exclusively in the Ti-6Al-4V side of the joint. The promising results on joining of Ti-64 to Ti-6242 provide valuable insight for tailoring performance of next-generation aero-engine products.

This paper presents the microstructural characteristics and mechanical properties of linear friction-welded (LFWed) Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-2Mo-0.1Si (Ti-6242) in as-welded (AWed) and stress relief-annealed (SRAed) conditions. The weld center (WC) of the AWed Ti-6242 consisted of recrystallized prior-β grains with α’ martensite that were tempered during SRA at 800 °C for 2 h and transformed into an acicular α + β microstructure. The peak hardness values, obtained in the AWed joints at the WC, sharply decreased through the thermomechanically affected zones (TMAZs) to the heat-affected zone (HAZ) of the Ti-6242 parent metal (PM). The SRA lowered the peak hardness values at the WC slightly and fully recovered the observed softening in the HAZ. The tensile mechanical properties of the welds in the AWed and SRAed conditions surpassed the minimum requirements in the AMS specifications for the Ti-6242 alloy. Fatigue tests, performed on the SRAed welds, indicated a fatigue limit of 468 MPa at 107 cycles, just slightly higher than that of the Ti-6242 PM (434 MPa). During tensile and fatigue testing, the welds failed in the PM region, which confirms the high mechanical integrity of the joints. Both the tensile and fatigue fracture surfaces exhibited characteristic features of ductile Ti-6242 PM.