Fully-lamellar equiaxed structure mediated excellent high-temperature fatigue crack growth resistance of Ti-48Al-2Cr-2Nb alloy fabricated via twin-wire directed energy deposition-arc process

As a critical milestone of twin-wire directed energy deposition-arc (TW-DED-arc) technology, we present the first report on the excellent fatigue crack growth (FCG) performance of a Ti–48Al–2Cr–2Nb (TiAl-4822) alloy with a refined fully-lamellar microstructure. FCG tests conducted on standard compact tension specimens from two orthogonal directions under cyclic loading at 650 °C (R = 0.1) demonstrated a high fatigue threshold (∼8.0 MPa·m 1/2 ) and low crack propagation rates compared to conventionally manufactured counterparts. The isotropic microstructure rendered crack resistance insensitive to deposition direction. In-situ tensile analysis under electron back scattered diffraction revealed that the enhanced performance originates from refined lamellar spacing, which promoted super-dislocation (SD) activity. Tortuous crack paths formed by mortise–tenon interlocks in inter-lamellar crack and zigzag trans -lamellar cracking, which effectively deflected cracks and dissipate energy. Furthermore, high volume fraction of γ-phase (89.4%) with low stacking fault energy facilitated dislocation dissociation and deformation twinning (DT). These mechanisms collectively enhanced stress relaxation through twin interactions and SD immobilization, significantly improving crack resistance. This study not only reports a previously undocumented property profile but also underscores the technological potential of TW-DED-arc for manufacturing high-performance titanium aluminide components.