SiC fibers can be used to reinforce a range of titanium base materials including alloys of the (α+β) type, metastable β type and near α type, as well intermetallic based γ-TiAl and orthorhombic Ti2AlNb. Along the fiber directions the obtained composites possess exceptional strength and stiffness, creating a large room and great flexibility for the design of higher performance components to be used in both aero engine and aircraft. The composites can be used by itself such as in sheet and bar form, or as a reinforcing module embedded in titanium alloy components, e.g., as a ring at the rim of a compressor disk. In this paper, recent progress in the development and application of SiC fiber reinforced titanium matrix composites was reviewed, emphasizing the work conducted at the Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Five aspects of research were covered, the first is fiber manufacture and batch production, in which the influence of the chemical vapor deposition parameters on the quality of the W-core SiC fiber was discussed, and the relationship between the tungsten-SiC interface reaction and the high temperature stability of the fiber was described. The second part covers the composite interface, in which a detailed discussion was given to both the chemical and physical compatibility, followed by the design of different reaction layers between the SiC fiber and different titanium based matrixs. The mechanical property section presents tensile data of a range of composites developed in the authors' group and compares to literature reports where available, together with a comprehensive discussion of failure due to fatigue and creep. The fourth part deals with nondestructive testing, presenting new results of inspection on real size composite components using a combination of several techniques including X-ray, industrial CT and ultrasonic scanning. The limitations of each method were shown and the technical challenges were identified. The last part describes the development of structural parts and their verification testing. Titanium matrix composite sheets with [0/90] laminate prepared by both the foil-fiber-foil and matrix coated fiber methods were highlighted, followed by a description of the development of full size bladed ring and excess revolution testing. Future directions of research on SiC fiber reinforced titanium matrix composites were also discussed.
Fig.1 Schematic diagrams of SiC fiber production bydirect current heating method (a) and radio frequency heating method (b)
Fig.2 SiC fiber production devices designed and established by the Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (11 production lines)
Fig.3 SiC fiber (a) and its fracture surface morphology (b) manufactured by the Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Fig.4 Plot of strength vs thickness of W/SiC reaction layer (Inset shows a summary of the work of Gambone and Gundel[17] using Trimarc 1? SiC fiber)[16]
Fig.5 Typical fiber fracture morphologies tensile tested at room temperature (a) and 450 ℃ (c), and corresponding details of W-core/SiC reaction zone (b, d)[16]
No.
Reaction
No.
Reaction
1
2Ti+SiC= TiSi+TiC
8
Ti+Si= TiSi
2
3Ti+2SiC= TiSi2+2TiC
9
Ti+2Si= TiSi2
3
8Ti+3SiC= Ti5Si3+3TiC
10
5Ti+3Si= Ti5Si3
4
4Ti+SiC= Ti3Si+TiC
11
3Ti+Si= Ti3Si
5
9Ti+4SiC= Ti5Si4+4TiC
12
5Ti+4Si= Ti5Si4
6
Ti+SiC= Si+TiC
13
3Ti+Si+C= Ti3SiC
7
Ti+C= TiC
14
3Ti+Si+2C= Ti3SiC2
Table 1 Possible chemical reactions in Ti-SiC thermodynamic system
Fig.6 Plot of the shifts of the G bands of carbon coating vs the applied stress for free SiC fibers[49]
Fiber
Matrix
Vf / %
E / GPa
σm / MPa
σc / MPa
SCS-6
Ti-6-4
36
210
895~1250
1500~1750
SP-700
28
200
910~1380
1600
Ti-6242
35
195
900~1190
2140~2250
Ti-15-3
35~40
200~220
1150~1275
1300~1700
IMI834
39
220
1025~1145
2200~2500
Ti-1100
35
185
1000~1050
1700
Ti-25-10
35
210
900~1100
1300
IMR-2
Ti-6-4
40
200~210
895~1250
1750
Ti17
40
210~220
1105~1240
1900~2200
Ti-6246
40
210
1035~1240
1900~2200
Ti2AlNb
40
220~240
780~1440
1650
Table 2 Typical tensile properties at ambient temperature of some titanium matrix composites (TMCs)[83-96]
Fig.7 Crack blunted (a) and deflected (b) by C coating[15]
Fig.8 C-scan map of the composite ring (TMCs is in the middle of the ring and the discontinuities reveal concentrated fracture of fiber)
Fig.9 Ultrasonic microscope image of the hot pressed TMC plate (a) and XRT image of tensile fracture of TMC at room temperature (b)
Fig.10 Fiber arrangement on the cross section of [0/90] laminate prepared by foil-fiber-foil (FFF) method (a) and matrix coated fiber (MCF) method (b)
Fig.11 Plates in different sizes and shapes manufactured by the Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (a) unidirectional reinforced sheets (b) vertical an horizontal reinforced scaling model of rocket wing (c) large aspect ratio sheet
Fig.12 Comparison of finite element calculation result and experimental result of the hot isostatic pressing (HIP) densification process
Fig.13 First full-size TMC bling in China
Fig.14 TMC bling for excess revolution testing
Fig.15 Photographs of TMC bling for strength test (a, b) and fracture morphology (c, d) (a, c) outer two shoulder reinforcement ring (b, d) inner double core reinforcement ring
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