Effects of SiC Fibers and Laminated Structure on Mechanical Properties of Ti-Al Laminated Composites.

Ti/Ti-Al and SiC-reinforced Ti/Ti-Al laminated composites were fabricated through vacuum hot-pressure using pure Ti foils, pure Al foils and SiC fibers as raw materials. The effects of SiC fiber and a laminated structure on the properties of Ti-Al laminated composites were studied. A novel method of fiber weaving was implemented to arrange the SiC fibers, which can guarantee the equal spacing of the fibers without introducing other elements. Results showed that with a higher exerted pressure, a more compact structure with fewer Kirkendall holes can be obtained in SiC-reinforced Ti/Ti-Al laminated composites. The tensile strength along the longitudinal direction of fibers was about 400 ± 10 MPa, which was 60% higher compared with the fabricated Ti/Ti-Al laminated composites with the same volume fraction (60%) of the Ti layer. An in situ tensile test was adopted to observe the deformation behavior and fracture mechanisms of the SiC-reinforced Ti/Ti-Al laminated composites. Results showed that microcracks first occurred in the Ti-Al intermetallic layer.