Contrasting irradiation behavior of dual phases in Ti-6Al-4V alloy at low-temperature due to ω-phase precursors in β-phase matrix

Aiming to simulate the radiation damage effect on a dual alpha+beta phase Ti-6Al-4V alloy utilized as high-intensity accelerator beam window material, a series of irradiation experiments were conducted with a 2.8 MeV-Fe^2+ ion beam in several dpa regions at room temperature. The nano-indentation hardness increased steeply at 1 dpa and unchanged up to 10 dpa, due to the saturation of defect clusters and tangled dislocations in the dominant alpha-phase matrix with a size of 2~3 nm and a density of about 1x10^23 m^-3. In contrast in the intergranular beta-phase, larger loops of 20~30 nm diameter were observed with much less density of about 5x10^20 m^-3. The diffraction pattern showed rectilinear diffuse streaks between the beta-phase reflections, corresponding to the omega-phase precursor, without dose dependency in its intensity. FFT/I-FFT analysis of the HREM revealed a sub-nanometer-sized lattice disorder with local fluctuations, not discrete but continuous, and homogeneously distributed within the matrix beta-phase stably against the irradiation. The significantly low dislocation density and the absence of phase transformation in the beta-phase matrix could be attributed either to the strong sink effect expected for this distinctive sub-nanometer-sized homogeneous lattice disorder or to the anomalous point defect recombination induced by the high mobility of vacancies, both of which are originated from the metastable omega-phase precursors specifically formed in the beta(BCC) phase of group-4 transition metals.