Ultra-uniform, strong and ductile 3D printed titanium alloy through bifunctional alloy design

Coarse columnar grains and heterogeneously distributed phases commonly form in metallic alloys produced by three-dimensional (3D) printing and are often considered undesirable because they can impart non-uniform and inferior mechanical properties. We demonstrate a design strategy to unlock consistent and enhanced properties directly from 3D printing. Using Ti−5Al−5Mo−5V−3Cr as a model alloy, we show that adding molybdenum (Mo) nanoparticles promotes grain refinement during solidification and suppresses the formation of phase heterogeneities during solid-state thermal cycling. The microstructural change due to the bifunctional additive results in uniform mechanical properties and simultaneous enhancement of both strength and ductility. We demonstrate how this alloy can be modified by a single component to address unfavourable microstructures, providing a pathway to achieve desirable mechanical characteristics directly from 3D printing.

Methods
These datasets were collected at The University of Queensland (Australia) and Chongqing University (China) from 2021 to 2023.

Details for each dataset are provided in the README file.

Datasets included:

1) Tensile engineering stress-strain data for Ti-5553 horizontal specimens

Number of Ti-5553 horizontal specimens
The engineering strain
The engineering stress

2) Tensile engineering stress-strain data for Ti-5553 vertical specimens

Number of Ti-5553 vertical specimens
The engineering strain
The engineering stress

3) Tensile engineering stress-strain data for Ti-5553+5Mo horizontal and vertical specimens

Number of Ti-5553 horizontal and vertical specimens
The engineering strain
The engineering stress

4) TEM-EDX line scanning

The distance of TEM-EDX line scan
The counts of element titanium (Ti) from the line scan
The counts of element molybdenum (Mo) from the line scan

5) DICTRA simulation of the composition profile of molybdenum (Mo) at the interface of a Mo particle and titanium melt.

The diffusion distance across the Mo particle and titanium melt during heating and cooling processes of laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF)
The composition profile of Mo at Time = 0 second
The composition profile of Mo at Time = 3.84E-04 second
The composition profile of Mo at Time = 7.68E-04 second
The composition profile of Mo at Time = 0.001152 second
The composition profile of Mo at Time = 0.001536 second

6) XRD Spectra for Ti-5553, Ti-5553+2.5Mo and Ti-5553+5Mo, respectively.

The angle between the incoming and outgoing beam directions
The intensity of an XRD peak (It is related to the number of atoms in the crystal that are capable of scattering X-rays)

7) SEM-EDS line scanning across the molybdenum particles and titanium matrix

The distance of SEM-EDS line scan
The counts of element titanium (Ti) from the SEM-EDS line scan
The counts of element molybdenum (Mo) from the SEM-EDS line scan
The counts of element aluminium (Al) from the SEM-EDS line scan
The counts of element iron (Fe) from the SEM-EDS line scan
The counts of element vanadium (V) from the SEM-EDS line scan
The counts of element chromium (Cr) from the SEM-EDS line scan

8) SEM-EDS line scanning across the molybdenum particles and titanium matrix

The distance of SEM-EDS line scan
The counts of element titanium (Ti) from the SEM-EDS line scan
The counts of element molybdenum (Mo) from the SEM-EDS line scan
The counts of element aluminium (Al) from the SEM-EDS line scan
The counts of element iron (Fe) from the SEM-EDS line scan
The counts of element vanadium (V) from the SEM-EDS line scan
The counts of element chromium (Cr) from the SEM-EDS line scan

9) SEM-EDS line scanning across the molybdenum particles and titanium matrix

The distance of SEM-EDS line scan
The counts of element titanium (Ti) from the SEM-EDS line scan
The counts of element molybdenum (Mo) from the SEM-EDS line scan
The counts of element aluminium (Al) from the SEM-EDS line scan
The counts of element iron (Fe) from the SEM-EDS line scan
The counts of element vanadium (V) from the SEM-EDS line scan
The counts of element chromium (Cr) from the SEM-EDS line scan

10) DSC data for Ti-5553 (which describes heat flow as a function of temperature)

The heating temperature.
The quantity of heat transferred.

11) SEM-EDS line scanning across cellular structures in Ti-5553+5Mo

The distance of SEM-EDS line scan
The counts of element titanium (Ti) from the SEM-EDS line scan
The counts of element molybdenum (Mo) from the SEM-EDS line scan
The counts of element vanadium (V) from the SEM-EDS line scan
The counts of element chromium (Cr) from the SEM-EDS line scan
The counts of element iron (Fe) from the SEM-EDS line scan
The counts of element aluminium (Al) from the SEM-EDS line scan
The counts of element nitrogen (N) from the SEM-EDS line scan
The counts of element oxygen (O) from the SEM-EDS line scan
The counts of element carbon (C) from the SEM-EDS line scan

12) Grain size histogram for Ti-5553 and Ti-5553+5Mo, respectively.

The diameter of the circle with an area equivalent to the grain section area
Area-weighted fraction of grain size

13) Geometrically necessary dislocation density (GND) distribution for Ti-5553 and Ti-5553+5Mo, respectively.

The density of geometrically necessary dislocation
The measurement counts

14) Loading-depth data for the Mo particle and the Ti matrix, respectively.

Nanoindentation depth
The load placed on the indenter tip

15) The true stress-true strain data of Ti-5553 and Ti-5553+5Mo, respectively.

True strain
True stress

16) The true stress-true strain data and (work-hardening rate)-true strain data of Ti-5553 and Ti-5553+5Mo, respectively.

True strain
True stress
Work-hardening rate

Missing values are denoted by NA. Additional details are available in the README file.