MICROSTRUCTURE AND COMPRESSIVE PROPERTIES OF REACTION-MILLED NiAl-10wt%TiC COMPOSITE

A NiAl- TiC composite with fine grains was prepared by mechanical alloying elemental powders and hot pressing in vacuum. The TiC particles with diameters of about 50-100nm preferentially distribute on grain boundaries and those with a mean size less than 10nm disperse uniformly throughout the grains. Compressive properties of the composite at room temperature show significantly improved ductility and strength over that of cast NiAl, and its high temperature strength is 3 to 4 times as large as that of cast NiAl.