Titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) with a bimodal harmonic structure, which is defined as a coarse-grained structure surrounded by a network structure of fine grains, was fabricated using powder metallurgy to improve both the strength and ductility. The microstructure of the sintered compacts was characterized using electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD). The areal fraction of the fine-grained structure in the harmonic structure tended to increase with the milling time. Tensile tests and four-point bending fatigue tests at a stress ratio of 0.1 were performed in air at room temperature. The tensile strength, 0.2% proof stress and fatigue limit of Ti-6Al-4V alloy with harmonic structure tended to increase as the areal fraction of the fine-grained structure increased. In contrast, elongation decreased due to the formation of a high areal fraction of the fine-grained structure (79.0%), which resulted in a reduction of the fatigue life with a low cycle regime. Thus, titanium alloy with high strength, ductility and fatigue resistance can be formed by optimization of the milling conditions. Furthermore, the mechanism for fatigue fracture of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy with a harmonic structure is discussed with respect to fractography and crystallography. A fatigue crack was initiated from the α-facet of the coarse-grained structure in the harmonic structure.

In the present work, the four-point bending loading fatigue properties of a heterogeneously distributed grain size microstructure consolidated from Ti-6Al-4V alloy powder are studied. The microstructure involved here, a so-called “harmonic structure”, possesses quasi-spherical large grain regions (“cores”) embedded in a continuous fine grain region (“shell”). Unlike the previous reports dealing with this issue, the effect of the specimen size on the fatigue characteristics is also probed, since two distinct specimen configurations are considered. Furthermore, the obtained experimental data are compared with the corresponding fatigue results derived from homogeneous coarse grain counterparts. Contrary to homogeneous structure material, discrepancies on both the fatigue strength and the fatigue crack initiation aspects are found for the harmonic structure material. Consequently, the present work aims to clarify the underlining phenomena involved in the specimen size effect detected for Ti-6Al-4V designed in the harmonic structure. A less active interface surface between the core and the shell combined with a wider critical volume in the large size specimen should be the main reasons of the fatigue strength discrepancy.

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