Effect of Grain Refiner on Fracture Toughness of 7050 Ingot and Plate

In this paper, two types of grain refining alloys, Al-3Ti-0.15C and Al-5Ti-0.2B, were used to cast two types of 7050 rolling ingots. The effect of Al-3Ti-0.15C and Al-5Ti-0.2B grain refiners on fracture toughness in different directions for 7050 ingots after heat treatment and 7050-T7651 plates was investigated using optical electron microscopy (OEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Mechanical properties testing included both tensile and plane strain fracture toughness (K(IC)). The grain size was measured from the surface to the center of the 7050 ingots with two different grain refiners. The fracture surface was analyzed by SEM and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS). The experiments showed the grain size from edge to center was reduced in 7050 ingots with both the TiC and TiB refiners, and the grain size was larger for ingots with the Al-3Ti-0.15C grain refiner at the same position. The tensile properties of 7050 ingots after heat treatment with Al-3Ti-0.15C grain refiner were 1–2 MPa lower than the ingot with the Al-5Ti-0.2B grain refiner. For the 7050-T7651 100 mm thick plate with the Al-3Ti-0.15C grain refiner, for the L direction, the tensile properties were lower by about 10~15 MPa; for the plate with the Al-3Ti-0.15C refiner than plate with Al-5Ti-0.2B refiner, for the LT direction, the tensile properties were lower by about 13–18 MPa; and for the ST direction, they were lower by about 8–10 MPa compared to that of Al-5Ti-0.2B refiner. The fracture toughness of the 7050-T7651 plate produced using the Al-3Ti-0.15C ingot was approximately 2–6 MPa · [Formula: see text] higher than the plate produced from the Al-5Ti-0.2B ingot. Fractography of the failed fracture toughness specimens revealed that the path of crack propagation of the 7050 ingot after heat treatment produced from the Al-3Ti-0.15C grain refiner was more tortuous than in the ingot produced from the Al-5Ti-0.2B, which resulted in higher fracture toughness.