Abstract
This paper presents the results of producing a triple-remelted Ti-10V-2Fe-3Al alloy. The results of SEM–EDS analysis of the alloy are reported, and the structure of the Ti-10-2-3 alloy along the height of an industrial electrode is determined. For the first time, results of a direct comparison between the morphology of the α/β phases and the local chemical composition in three characteristic zones of a 4.5 t electrode, “top”, “middle 1”, “middle 2”, and “bottom”, are obtained based on comprehensive SEM–EDS analysis. It is established that, with respect to the main alloying elements (Ti, Al, V), the ingot is fully chemically homogenized along its height, and the VAR (vacuum arc remelting) regime ensures an acceptable level of macrosegregation. It is shown that the concentrations of (Ti, Al, V), the principal alloying elements in Ti-10V-2Fe-3Al, do not change significantly between samples. SEM–EDS results indicate that the scatter in elemental concentrations is ≤1-1.5%, which is considered an indicator of high-quality VAR processing; this level of scatter implies minimal differences in elemental concentrations: Al variations are within ±0.5-1.0%, V variations are within ±0.5-1.0%, and Ti maintains a stable fraction of approximately ~83-86%. Morphological studies reveal that the α/β structure is formed uniformly, without pronounced columnar segregation. The results of the direct comparison of α/β-phase morphologies enabled the development of a quality-control methodology for electrodes based on SEM–EDS profiles.