Titanium and titanium alloys prepared by cryogenic milling

Ultra-fine grained materials are presently thoroughly investigated due to their enhanced mechanical properties. Cryogenic milling is one of the severe plastic deformation methods, which allow production of these materials. Titanium powder was processed by cryogenic milling in liquid nitrogen and argon and consequently consolidated via spark plasma sintering method. In this work, the influence of milling conditions (liquid nitrogen vs. liquid argon, material of balls, duration and speed of milling, usage of stearic acid) on size and shape of powder particles, contamination and mechanical properties was investigated. Particle size reduction was generally not observed, while their morphology changed significantly. Using liquid nitrogen as a cooling medium leads to strong contamination of prepared material and consequently to its hardening and embrittlement. Stearic acid supresses cold welding of particles during milling and enhances its efficiency. It is possible to eliminate stearic acid from powder by cleaning in acetone before sintering, to prevent contamination of processed material. Microhardness increased, depending on milling efficiency (in liquid argon), from original 178 HV to 200-300 HV range. Increase of yield and ultimate stength was observed in compression tests while maintaining ductility...