In-situ-reinforced titanium matrix composites

✍ Scribed by M.S. Thompson; V.C. Nardone

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1991
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 724 KB
• Volume: 144
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0921-5093
• DOI: 10.1016/0921-5093(91)90216-a

✦ Synopsis

An approach has been developed to fabricate discontinuously reinforced composites with an extremely fine reinforcement size. Specifically, composites are formed in situ by plasma melting an agglomerate consisting of two dissimilar powders that react to form a reinforcement within a metal matrix, ln-situreinforced titanium matrix composites were successfully fabricated by plasma melting powder agglomerates of titanium alloys and zirconium diboride (ZrB2). Extensive analysis of the composite microstructure using transmission electron microscopy identified that the reinforcement which formed during the plasma melting process was titanium boride (TiB) whisker generally less than 100 nm in diameter and with an aspect ratio between 10 and 50. Mechanical property evaluation of the composites has revealed a very high compression strength, increased elevated temperature strength and increased elastic modulus relative to the titanium matrix.