Improvement in mechanical properties of in-situ Al-TiB2 composite by incorporation of carbon

In-situ TiB2 reinforced aluminium composites have been successfully synthesized through chemical reactions between elemental Al, B and Ti materials. By incorporation of carbon into the in-situ reaction, the Al3Ti intermetallic phase was found to decrease via the formation of TiC and the decomposition of Al3Ti since TiC is more stable in the presence of carbon. Mechanical properties in terms of yield and ultimate tensile stresses and Young's modulus have been improved. Ductility in terms of elongation of the composite with the incorporation of carbon was found to increase by about 26% in comparison to the composite without carbon. The improvement in ductility may be associated with the decrease in the amount of Al3Ti and the increase in TiC particulates. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.