Effect of Silver and Annealing on the Properties of a Ti–38Zr–11Nb Alloy

A Ti–38Zr–11Nb titanium alloy and its modifications with various silver concentrations (1–3 at %) are studied. The alloy is considered as an alternative to a Ti–6Al–4V alloy, which comprises toxic elements. A production method, which includes argon arc melting, remelting, and annealing, is presented. Annealing is shown to ensure a uniform silver distribution and a slight increase in the grain size. X-ray diffraction analysis reveals the β phase of titanium. An analysis of the microhardness demonstrates an increase in the titanium β phase content as the silver content increases to 3 at %.