Abstract:Nanoindentation and high resolution electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) were combined to examine the elastic modulus and hardness of α and β phases, anisotropy in residual elastic stress-strain fields and distributions of geometrically necessary dislocation (GND) density around the indentations within TA15 titanium alloy. The nano-indention tests were conducted on α and β phases, respectively. The residual stress-strain fields surrounding the indentation were calculated through cross- correlation method from recorded patterns. The GND density distribution around the indentation was calculated based on the strain gradient theories to reveal the micro-mechanism of plastic deformation. The results indicate that the elastic modulus and hardness for α ?phase are 129.05 GPas and 6.44 GPa, while for β phase, their values are 109.80 GPa and 4.29 GPa, respectively. The residual Mises stress distribution around the indentation is relatively heterogeneous and significantly influenced by neighboring soft β phase. The region with low residual stress around the indentation is accompanied with markedly high áa? type and prismatic-GND density.

Key words: nano-hardness; stress-strain fields; geometrically necessary dislocation; nanoindentation; electron backscatter diffraction; TA15 titanium alloy