Round ingot of TA31 alloy was melted by electron beam cold hearth furnace

and the chemical composition as well as the melting process were analyzed comparatively. The results indicate that the stability of axial composition in the ingot is significantly affected by melting speed. The axial Al content in the ingot is increased with the increase of melting speed

and vice versa. The reduction of melting speed fluctuation can improve the stability of Al content in ingot

and the distribution of Nb

Zr and Mo is uniform along the axial and radial direction. The test results and kinetic analysis reveal that the volatilization amount of Nb

Zr and Mo can be negligible. The volatilization of Ti and Al results in a slight increase of percentage content.