Processing map and hot working mechanisms in a P/M TiAl alloy composite with in situ carbide and silicide dispersions

Research highlights: Mechanical alloying of Ti and Al with small additions of Si and C was used to synthesize metastable phases, which were incorporated in Ti-Al matrices using powder metallurgy techniques. These metastable phases (or also called as precursors), at higher temperatures, transformed in situ into very fine hard reinforcements that develop coherent interface with the surrounding matrix. Typically, Ti5Si3 and TiC are the end products after the synthesis of composite. In this study, hot working behavior of such composites has been studied using the concepts of processing maps to identify the safe and best processing conditions that should be adopted while forming this composite. Also, kinetic analysis of hot deformation has been performed to identify the dominant deformation mechanism. The results are compared with that of base TiAl matrix. The powder metallurgy route offers the advantage of working the material at much lower temperatures compared to the traditional cast and forge route. - Abstract: A titanium aluminide alloy composite with in situ carbide and silicide dispersions has been synthesized by mixing 90% of matrix with elemental composition of 46Ti-46Al-4Nb-2Cr-2Mn and 10% precursor with composition 55Ti-27Al-12Si-6C prepared by mechanical alloying. The powder mixture was blended for 2 h followed by hot isostatic pressing (HIP) at 1150 deg. C for 4 h under a pressure of 150 MPa. In addition to TiAl alloy matrix, the microstructure of the HIP'ed billet showed a small volume fraction of Nb-rich intermetallic phase along with carbide and silicide dispersions formed in situ during HIP'ing. Cylindrical specimens from the HIP'ed billets were compressed at temperatures and strain rates in the ranges of 800-1050 deg. C and 0.0001-1 s-1. The flow curves exhibited flow softening leading to a steady-state flow at strain rates lower than 0.01 s-1 while fracture occurred at higher strain rates. The processing map developed on the basis of flow stress at different temperatures and strain rates revealed a safe window for hot working as 850-1025 deg. C and 0.0001-0.001 s-1. Kinetic analysis of the flow stress data yielded a stress exponent of 3.85 and an apparent activation energy of 440 kJ/mol which is higher than that for self-diffusion of Al in γ TiAl.