Surface Energies and Related Properties of Beta-Titanium Alloys.

摘要

The original aim of this research program was to measure surface and grain boundary energies in B-titanium alloys; namely Ti-Mo and Ti-V in the pure state and also when containing trace amounts of the elements of group B. The technical reasons for such an investigation have been set forth in detail previously. The preliminary results were promising but as events transpired the surface energy of vanadium could not be satisfactorily determined by the zero-creep method within the time allotted. However, the second phase of the program was very successful. This investigation, which began by exploring means of sensitively measuring creep rates in-situ and at temperature, led to the invention of a new method for determining surface energies called the strain-load relaxation technique. The associated instrumentation was developed and the validity of the method proven using copper. In the final analysis, the creation of the technique which will permit the evaluation of surface energies more rapidly and more accurately than has been previously possible is a more significant advance than would have been achieved merely by the successful completion of the zero-creep experiments.