This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles

for the
Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

Designation: B988 − 18

Standard Specification for

Powder Metallurgy (PM) Titanium and Titanium Alloy
Structural Components1
This standard is issued under the fixed designation B988; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (´) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.

1. Scope* 2. Referenced Documents

1.1 This specification covers powder metallurgy (PM) struc- 2.1 ASTM Standards:2
tural components fabricated from: B243 Terminology of Powder Metallurgy
1.1.1 Commercially pure (CP) (that is, unalloyed) titanium B311 Test Method for Density of Powder Metallurgy (PM)
powder, Materials Containing Less Than Two Percent Porosity
1.1.2 Pre-alloyed powders. B348 Specification for Titanium and Titanium Alloy Bars
1.1.3 Mixtures of elemental powders or mixtures of elemen- and Billets
tal powders and pre-alloyed powders. B923 Test Method for Metal Powder Skeletal Density by
Helium or Nitrogen Pycnometry
1.2 This specification covers: B962 Test Methods for Density of Compacted or Sintered
1.2.1 Grade 1 PM—Unalloyed titanium, Powder Metallurgy (PM) Products Using Archimedes’
1.2.2 Grade 2 PM—Unalloyed titanium, Principle
1.2.3 Grade 3 PM—Unalloyed titanium, E8/E8M Test Methods for Tension Testing of Metallic Ma-
1.2.4 Grade 4 PM—Unalloyed titanium, terials
1.2.5 Grade 5 PM—Titanium alloy (6 % aluminum, 4 % E29 Practice for Using Significant Digits in Test Data to
vanadium), Determine Conformance with Specifications
1.2.6 Grade 9 PM—Titanium alloy (3 % aluminum, 2.5 % E539 Test Method for Analysis of Titanium Alloys by X-Ray
vanadium), Fluorescence Spectrometry
1.2.7 Ti-6Al-4V PM Low Interstitial (LI), E1409 Test Method for Determination of Oxygen and Nitro-
1.2.8 Ti-6Al-6V-2Sn PM. gen in Titanium and Titanium Alloys by Inert Gas Fusion
E1447 Test Method for Determination of Hydrogen in Tita-
1.3 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the nium and Titanium Alloys by Inert Gas Fusion Thermal
standard. No other units of measurement are included in this Conductivity/Infrared Detection Method
standard. E1941 Test Method for Determination of Carbon in Refrac-
1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the tory and Reactive Metals and Their Alloys by Combustion
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the Analysis
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro- E2371 Test Method for Analysis of Titanium and Titanium
priate safety, health, and environmental practices and deter- Alloys by Direct Current Plasma and Inductively Coupled
mine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use. Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry (Performance-
1.5 This international standard was developed in accor- Based Test Methodology)
dance with internationally recognized principles on standard- E2626 Guide for Spectrometric Analysis of Reactive and
ization established in the Decision on Principles for the Refractory Metals (Withdrawn 2017)3
Development of International Standards, Guides and Recom-
3. Terminology
mendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical
Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee. 3.1 Definitions—Definitions of powder metallurgy terms
can be found in Terminology B243.

1 2
This specification is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee B09 on Metal For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, or
Powders and Metal Powder Products and is the direct responsibility of Subcom- contact ASTM Customer Service at service@astm.org. For Annual Book of ASTM
mittee B09.11 on Near Full Density Powder Metallurgy Materials. Standards volume information, refer to the standard’s Document Summary page on
Current edition approved Nov. 1, 2018. Published November 2018. Originally the ASTM website.
3
approved in 2013. Last previous edition approved in 2013 as B988 – 13. DOI: The last approved version of this historical standard is referenced on
10.1520/B988-18. www.astm.org.

*A Summary of Changes section appears at the end of this standard

Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959. United States

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 B988 − 18
4. Ordering Information 7. Physical Properties
4.1 Orders for components under this specification should 7.1 Density—This specification covers high-and full-density
include the following information, or portions of it, as agreed parts with no interconnected porosity.
to between purchaser and producer: 7.2 Minimum density shall be sufficient to meet the me-
4.2 Grade or alloy composition (see Section 6 and Table 1). chanical properties of Table 2 or as specified in the purchase
4.3 Mechanical properties (see Section 8 and Table 2). order or contract.
4.4 Density (see 7.1). 7.3 Density shall be determined in accordance with Test
Methods B311, B923, or B962.
4.5 Component description (see Section 9). NOTE 1—Refer to Refs (1-11)4 for supplemental material property
4.6 Processing route (see Section 5). information.

4.7 Certification (see Section 12). 8. Mechanical Properties

4.8 Sampling—Sample size for determining chemical com- 8.1 Tensile tests shall be performed using standardized test
position will be decided by purchaser and producer. Methods bars in accordance with Test Methods E8/E8M produced from
for chemical analysis are referenced in 10.1.1. the same powder lot as the components.
4.9 Number of tensile tests required as mutually agreed 8.2 Alternatively, when standardized test bars are not
upon by purchaser and producer. available, or when specified by the purchaser, testing may be
performed on material extracted from actual components of the
5. Materials and Manufacture same lot.
5.1 Structural components may be fabricated from powders NOTE 2—Test specimens may be machined from PM parts or blanks.
The test results, however, may differ from compacted test specimens.
by processing to a near-net or net shape with final machining
performed if required. Powders may include titanium, pre- 9. Dimensions, Mass, and Permissible Variations
alloyed titanium alloys, master alloys, and other elemental
powders. The consolidation method shall be sufficient to 9.1 Dimensions and tolerances of the structural components
achieve the final mechanical properties specified. The process- shall be indicated on drawings accompanying the purchase
ing method may include any combination of cold compaction order or contract.
(for example, cold isostatic pressing, uniaxial pressing), pow-
der roll compaction, hot compaction (for example, hot isostatic 10. Sampling
pressing, powder forging, and pneumatic isostatic forging), 10.1 Chemical Analysis:
sintering, and heat treatment. 10.1.1 A sample from the lot shall be analyzed in accor-
dance with Test Methods E2371, E1409, E1447 and E1941.
6. Chemical Composition Alternatively, Test Method E539 or any other standard method
6.1 Chemical composition shall conform to the require- mutually agreed upon between the purchaser and producer may
ments of Table 1. The purchaser may negotiate with the be used. Definitions of powder metallurgy terms (for example,
producer for other chemical requirements. “lot”) can be found in Terminology B243.
10.1.2 Compliance to the chemical compositions identified
6.2 Chemical analysis shall be made in accordance with Test in Table 1 is required unless otherwise specified by purchaser.
Methods E2371, E1409, E1447, E1941; alternatively, Test
Method E539, or any other standard method mutually agreed
upon between the purchaser and producer. Alternative tech- 4
The boldface numbers in parentheses refer to the list of references at the end of
niques are discussed in Guide E2626. this standard.

TABLE 1 Chemical Composition RequirementsA

NOTE 1—Additional compositions may be added with future revisions.
Residual
Composition, Weight % N, max C, max H, max Fe O, max Al V Sn Cu Cr Nb
max ea.
Grade 1 PM 0.03 0.08 0.015 0.20 max 0.18 — — — — — — 0.1
Grade 2 PM 0.03 0.08 0.015 0.30 max 0.25 — — — — — — 0.1
Grade 3 PM 0.05 0.08 0.015 0.30 max 0.35 — — — — — — 0.1
Grade 4 PM 0.05 0.08 0.015 0.50 max 0.40 — — — — — — 0.1
Grade 5 PM (Ti-6Al-4V) 0.05 0.08 0.015 0.40 max 0.30 5.50–6.75 3.50–4.50 — — — — 0.1
Grade 9 PM (Ti-3Al-2.5V) 0.03 0.08 0.015 0.25 max 0.30 2.50–3.50 2.00–3.00 — — — — 0.1
Ti-6Al-4V, LIB 0.03 0.08 0.0125 0.25 max 0.20 5.50–6.75 3.50–4.50 — — — — 0.1
Ti-6Al-6V-2Sn 0.04 0.1 0.015 0.35–1.0 0.30 5.0–6.0 5.0–6.0 1.5–2.5 0.35–1.0 — — 0.1
A
For the purpose of determining conformance with this specification, measured values shall be rounded “to the nearest unit” in the last right-hand digit used in expressing
the specification limit in accordance with the rounding method of Practice E29. The specified elements of the chemical composition for the Grades in Table 1 reference
the chemical compositions from Specification B348.
B
LI = low interstitial.

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 B988 − 18
TABLE 2 Tensile RequirementsA
Yield Strength Tensile Strength Elongation Reduction
Classification
(0.2 % Offset) (min) (min) in 25 mm, % in Area, %
(PM designation)
MPa MPa (min) (min)
Grade 1 PM100 138 240 24 30
Grade 1 PM90 124 216 22 27
Grade 2 PM100 275 345 20 30
Grade 2 PM90 248 311 18 27
Grade 3 PM100 380 450 20 30
Grade 3 PM90 342 405 18 27
Grade 4 PM100 483 550 18 30
Grade 4 PM90 435 495 16 27
Grade 5 PM100 828 895 10 25
Grade 5 PM90 745 806 9 23
Grade 9 PM100 483 620 15 25
Grade 9 PM90 435 558 14 23
Ti-6Al-4V LI PM100 759 828 10 15
Ti-6Al-4V LI PM90 683 745 9 14
Ti-6Al-6V-2Sn PM100 883 958 13 13
Ti-6Al-6V-2Sn PM90 795 862 12 12
A
PM100 denotes equivalence to Specification B348 tensile properties, and PM90 denotes 90 % of Specification B348 tensile properties.

10.2 Mechanical Testing: inspected, sampled and tested in accordance with the require-
10.2.1 Compliance to the mechanical properties identified ments of this specification, and that the results of chemical
in Table 2 is required unless otherwise specified in purchase analysis, tensile, and other tests meet the requirements of this
order or contract. Tensile testing shall be performed in confor- specification for the grade specified. When specified in the
mance with Test Methods E8/E8M. The purchaser and pro- purchase order or contract, a report of test results shall be
ducer should determine the number of tensile tests required. furnished.
10.2.2 Test bars shall be produced by the same processing
route as the components. 12.2 Basic chemical composition as shown in Table 1 will
be tested and reported. Additional elements will be measured
10.3 Density shall be measured in accordance with Test
and reported as requested by purchaser.
Methods B311, B923, or B962.
11. Inspection 13. Keywords
11.1 Products will be free of defects that are observable by 13.1 CIP; cold isostatic pressing; compaction; HIP; hot
visual examination and detrimental to usage, such as seams, isostatic pressing; PIF; pneumatic isostatic forging; powder
laminations, pits, cracks, and surface inclusions. forging; powder metallurgy; powder roll compaction; pre-
12. Certification alloyed powder; sinter; structural components; Ti Grade 1; Ti
Grade 2; Ti Grade 3; Ti Grade 4; Ti-6Al4V; Ti-6A1-6V-2Sn; Ti
12.1 The producer shall supply at least one copy of the
3Al2.5V; titanium; titanium alloys; titanium powder
report certifying that the material has been manufactured,

REFERENCES

(1) Froes, F. H. and Williams, J. C., “Titanium Alloys: Powder (7) Thellmann, E. L. “Great Potential for Titanium Powder Metallurgy,”
Metallurgy,” Encyclopedia of Materials Science and Engineering, Vol Metal Powder Report, Vol 34, No. 6, June 1980, pp. 260–261.
7, T-Z MIT Press, 1986, pp. 5089–5094. (8) Brosius, E. S., Malek, J. C., Peter, N. K., and Trzcinski, M. J.,
(2) Titanium and Titanium Alloys Source Book, “Powder Metallurgy,” “Blended Elemental Powder Titanium for Automotive Applications,”
ASM, 1982, pp. 280–288. Metal Powder Report, Vol 42, No. 11, November 1987, pp. 768–773.
(3) Metals Handbook Ninth Edition Volume 7 Powder Metallurgy, “Tita- (9) Will, R. H. and Paul, O., “Potential Titanium Airframe Applications,”
nium Alloys,” ASM 1984, pp. 41, 44, 254, 394, 435, 437, 449, 468, in Powder Metallurgy for High Performance Applications, Syracuse
469, 512, 513, and 752. University Press, 1972, pp. 333–349.
(4) Kubel, E. J., Jr., “Titanium NNS Technology Shaping Up,” Advanced (10) Hanson, A. D., Runkle, J., Widmer, R., and Hebeisen, J., “Titanium
Materials and Processes Inc. Metal Progress, February 1987, pp.
Shapes from Elemental Blends,” International Journal of Powder
46–50.
Metallurgy, Vol 26, No. 2, 1990, pp. 157–164.
(5) Abkowitz, S. and Weihrauch, P., “Trimming the Cost of MMC’s,”
(11) Abkowitz, S.M., Abkowitz, S., Fisher, H., and Main, D. H., “Afford-
Advanced Materials and Processes, July 1989, pp. 31–34.
(6) Abkowitz, S., Churrus, G. J., Fujishiro, S., Froes, F. H., and Eylon, D., able PM Titanium – Microstructures, Properties and Products” in
“Titanium Alloy Shapes from Elemental Blend Powder and Tensile Advances in Powder Metallurgy & Particulate Materials-2011,
and Fatigue Properties of Low Chloride Compositions,” in Confer- Proceedings of the PowderMet 2011 International Conference on
ence Proceedings Titanium Net Shape Technologies, The Metallurgi- Powder Metallurgy & Particulate Materials, San Francisco, CA, May
cal Society of AIME, Los Angeles, CA, February 1984, pp. 107–120. 18-22, 2011, published by Metal Powder Industries Federation.

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 B988 − 18

SUMMARY OF CHANGES

Committee B09 has identified the location of selected changes to this standard since the last issue (B988 – 13)
that may impact the use of this standard. (Approved Nov. 1, 2018.)

(1) Changed supplier to producer throughout. (2) Changed “lot” to “powder lot” in Section 8.1.

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