Effects of Cu Addition on Mechanical Behaviour, Microstructural Evolution and Anti-Corrosion Performance of TiAl-Based Intermetallic Alloy under Different Strain Rates

TiAl-based intermetallic alloys are prepared with Cu concentrations of 3–5 at.% (atomic ratio). The mechanical properties and microstructural characteristics of the alloys are investigated under static and dynamic loading conditions using a material testing system (MTS) and split-Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB), respectively. The electrochemical properties of the various alloys are then tested in Ringer’s solution. It is shown that the level of Cu addition significantly affects both the flow stress and the ductility of the samples. For Cu contents of 3 and 4 at.%, respectively, the flow stress and strain rate sensitivity increase at higher strain rates. Furthermore, for a constant strain rate, a Cu content of 4 at.% leads to an increased fracture strain. However, for the sample with the highest Cu addition of 5 at.%, the flow stress and fracture strain both decrease. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns and optical microscopy (OM) images reveal that the lower ductility is due to the formation of a greater quantity of γ phase in the binary TiAl alloy system. Among all the specimens, that with a Cu addition of 4 at.% has the best anti-corrosion performance. Overall, the results indicate that the favourable properties of the TiAlCu(4) sample stem mainly from the low γ phase content of the microstructure and the high α(2) phase content.