Combination of reaction synthesis and Spark Plasma Sintering in production of Ti-Al-Si alloys

This work is devoted to the preparation of alloys based on intermetallic compounds in Ti-Al-Si system by powder metallurgy using Self-propagating High-temperature Synthesis (SHS). Since samples after SHS are very porous, in order to reduce the porosity, a combination of SHS, milling, and Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS), has been here tested as a complex production technology. Selected mechanical properties of consolidated samples (hardness, fracture toughness) and tribological properties (abrasive wear resistance) were determined. The microstructure of compacted Ti-Al-Si alloys is almost non-porous with the combination of titanium aluminides and titanium silicides. The alloys achieve good mechanical properties except for the fracture toughness. •Ti-Al-Si alloy prepared using reactive sintering, milling and Spark Plasma Sintering.•Alloys are formed by TiAl or TiAl3 and titanium silicides.•Alloys are characterized by high hardness and abrasive wear resistance.