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Mechanical property data of a low-cost titanium alloy derived directly from synthetic rutile is reported. A small-scale testing approach comprising consolidation via field-assisted sintering technology, followed by axisymmetric compression testing, has been designed to yield mechanical property data from small quantities of titanium alloy powder. To validate this approach and provide a benchmark, Ti-6Al-4V powder has been processed using the same methodology and compared with material property data generated from thermo-physical simulation software. Compressive yield strength and strain to failure of the synthetic rutile-derived titanium alloy were revealed to be similar to that of Ti-6Al-4V.

Titanium-tantalum alloys have historically been difficult to produce using conventional techniques due to the large difference in melting point and poor interdiffusivity rates of the two elements, leading to large levels of segregation. In this work we have investigated using the Metalysis-FFC process to overcome this problem. The Metalysis-FFC process is an electrochemical process where metal oxides are reduced by acting as a cathode in an electrolytic cell combined typically with a graphite anode and molten calcium chloride electrolyte. Previous work has proven that the process works when applied to mixed oxides to produce alloys. The reduction process is performed in the solid state and so negates the problems associated with traditional melting practices such as segregation and evaporation losses. In this work we have been able to successfully produce a range of Ti-Ta alloy powders from pure titanium to pure tantalum in 10 wt% increments using the Metalysis-FFC process. Moreover, energy dispersive spectroscopy analysis of the powders suggests uniform distribution of titanium and tantalum within all compositional ranges, suggesting the Metalysis-FFC process has the potential to be a transformative manufacturing methodology for producing titanium-tantalum alloys.

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