Awards

The influence of thermomechanical processing on the consolidation behaviour, flow characteristics, microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti-6%Al-4%V/TiC particulate reinforced metal matrix composites is presented. High temperature working was performed using compression testing of powder compacts at three constant strain rates in the range of 5´10^-4 to 5´10^-2 s^-1 at various temperatures above and below the beta transus (850 to 1200 °C). Through systematic variations in the processing parameters, the flow stress behaviour for the composites was modelled as a function of the deformation temperature and strain rate. Density measurements and microstructural analysis indicated that thermomechanical processing can reduce the consolidation temperature and time while simultaneously improving the properties of the composite through elimination of the residual porosity as compared to materials fabricated using sintering techniques. Furthermore, deformation processing enabled modification of the matrix microstructure which provided an alternative means of tailoring the mechanical properties of the composite.