Layered composites made from bimetallic strips produced by plasma spraying of TiAl on niobium

The production and structure of a multilayer TiAl/Nb composite material made from bimetallic TiAl/Nb strips fabricated by plasma spraying of TiAl granules onto niobium plates are studied. Here, 3-mm-and 2-mm-thick plates of a layered composite material (LCM) are produced by hot isostatic pressing of a stack of 35 bimetallic plates followed by hot rolling (the total degree of reduction is 78.6 and 85.7%, respectively). The LCM consists of discontinuous TiAl layers separated by niobium layers, and the adhesion between the layers is good. Diffusional intermediate layers form at the TiAl/Nb interfaces in the 3-mm-thick LCM and consist of the following two solid solutions: an α^sub 2^-Ti^sub 3^Al-based solid solution contains up to 28 at % Nb, and a niobiumbased solid solution contains up to 27 at % Ti and 32 at % Al. The diffusional intermediate layers in the 2-mmthick LCM plates consist of an α^sub 2^-Ti^sub 3^Al-based solid solution with up to 16.0 at % Nb; a τ-Ti^sub 3^Al^sub 2^Nb-or Ti^sub 4^Al^sub 3^Nb-based solid solution with 51.5 at % Ti, 32 at % Al, and 16.5 at % Nb; and a niobium-based solid solution with up to 22 at % Ti and 30.5 at % Al. When a bimetallic TiAl/Nb strip is fabricated by plasma spraying of granules of the Ti-48 at % Al alloy, this alloy is depleted of aluminum to 42-45 at %, and the fraction of the α^sub 2^-Ti^sub 3^Al phase in the sprayed layer increases. When the LCM is produced by hot isostatic pressing followed by hot rolling, the layer of plain niobium (Nb1) dissolves up to 5 at % Ti and 7 at % Al.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]