Abstract: Disclosed herein is a process that includes: (a) forming a powder blend by mixing Commercially Pure (C.P.) titanium powder, one or more hydrogenated titanium powders containing around 3.4 to around 3.9 weight % of hydrogen (e.g., hydrogenated titanium powders available or referred to nominally as “titanium hydride” or TiH2), and one or more hydrogenated titanium powders containing around 0.2 to around 3.4 weight % of hydrogen, or a mixture of the hydrogenated titanium powders without the C.P. titanium powder, (b) consolidating the powder blend by either compacting the powder blend using die pressing, direct powder rolling, cold isostatic pressing, impulse pressing, metal injection molding, other room temperature consolidation method, or combination thereof, at a pressure in the range of around 400 to around 960 MPa, or loose sintering, to provide a green compact having a density lower than that of a green compact formed from only C.P.

Abstract: A process including: (a) forming a powder blend by mixing titanium powders, (b) consolidating the powder blend by compacting to provide a green compact, (c) heating the green compact thereby releasing absorbed water from the titanium powder, (d) forming ?-phase titanium and releasing atomic hydrogen from the hydrogenated titanium by heating the green compact in an atmosphere of hydrogen emitted by the hydrogenated titanium, (e) reducing surface oxides on particles of the titanium powder with atomic hydrogen released by heating of the green compact, (f) diffusion-controlled chemical homogenizing of the green compact and densification of the green compact by heating followed by holding resulting in complete or partial dehydrogenation to form a cleaned and refined compact, (g) heating the cleaned and refined green compact in vacuum thereby sintering titanium to form a sintered dense compact, and (h) cooling the sintered dense compact to form a sintered near-net shaped article.

Abstract: (a) The metal matrix composite is suitable for the manufacture of flat or shaped titanium aluminide, zirconium aluminide, or niobium aluminide articles and layered metal composites having improved mechanical properties such as lightweight plates and sheets for aircraft and automotive applications, thin cross-section vanes and airfoils, heat-sinking lightweight electronic substrates, bulletproof structures for vests, partition walls and doors, as well as sporting goods such as helmets, golf clubs, sole plates, crown plates, etc. The composite material consists of a metal (e.g., Ti, Zr, or Nb-based alloy) matrix at least partially intercalated with a three-dimensional skeletal metal aluminide structure, whereby ductility of the matrix metal is higher than that of the metal aluminide skeleton. The method for manufacturing includes the following steps: (a) providing an aluminum skeleton structure having open porosity of 50-95 vol.

Abstract: The method is suitable for the manufacture of flat or shaped titanium aluminide articles and layered metal matrix composites such as lightweight plates and sheets for aircraft and automotive applications, thin cross-section vanes and blades, composite electrodes, heat-sinking lightweight electronic substrates, bulletproof structures for vests, partition walls and doors, as well as for sporting goods such as helmets, golf clubs, sole plates, crown plates, etc.

Abstract: The process includes (a) mixing a titanium hydride powder having a particle size of ≦150 &mgr;m with alloying metal powders (master alloys or elemental metal powders) having a particle size in the range of {fraction (1/15)}-⅖ of the maximal particle size of titanium hydride powder, (b) compacting the resulting powder mixture by molding at the pressures of 400-1000 MPa, (c) heating up to the sintering temperature of the predetermined alloy composition at variable pressures in a furnace chamber: initial heating to 400° C. in vacuum of less than 10−2 Pa, then, heating to a temperature range of 400-900° C. with the pressures up to 104 Pa, which is controlled by hydrogen being emitted by the decomposition of titanium hydride contained in the compacted powdered alloy, and finally, heating to over 900° C. to the sintering temperature at the pressure continually decreasing to the starting vacuum level, and (d) sintering.

Abstract: The lightweight bulletproof metal matrix macrocomposites (MMMC) contain (a) 10-99 vol. % of permeable skeleton structure of titanium, titanium aluminide, Ti-based alloys, and/or mixtures thereof infiltrated with low-melting metal selected from Al, Mg, or their alloys, and (b) 1-90 vol. % of ceramic and/or metal inserts positioned within said skeleton, whereby a normal projection area of each of said inserts is equal to or larger than the cross-section area of a bullet or a projectile body. The MMMC are manufactured as flat or solid-shaped, double-layer, or multi-layer articles containing the same inserts or different inserts in each layer, whereby insert projections of each layer cover spaces between inserts of the underlying layer. The infiltrated metal contains 1-70 wt. % of Al and Mg in the balance, optionally, alloyed with Ti, Si, Zr, Nb, V, as well as with 0-3 wt. % of TiB2, SiC, or Si3N4 sub-micron powders, to promote infiltrating and wetting by Al-containing alloys.

Abstract: Lightweight metal matrix composites containing a skeleton structure of titanium, titanium aluminide, or Ti-based alloy are manufactured by low temperature infiltration with molten Mg-based alloy or Mg—Al alloy at 450-750° C., with molten In, Pb, or Sn at 300-450° C., or with molten Ag and Cu at 900-1100° C. The skeleton structure with a density of 25-35% is produced by loose sintering of Ti or Ti-based alloy powders. A primary deformation of the Ti skeleton structure before the infiltration is carried out by cold or hot rolling or forging to obtain a porous flat or shaped preform with a porosity <50% and pores drawn out in one direction such as the direction of future rolling of the composite plate.

Abstract: A flat section with density not less than 25% from theoretical value is sintered from the powder of low ductile reactive alloy, welded by diffusion welding with cover foils made from ductile reactive metal that seal hermetically inner and surface pores, and assembled with two heat resistant sheets in the laminated package. Cover foils are made from metal that belongs to the same metal system as said sintered powder. The package is encapsulated in a capsule made from reactive alloy that belongs also to the same metal system as said sintered powder. An anti-adhesive release agent such as Y.sub.2 O.sub.3, A1.sub.2 O.sub.3, or CaF.sub.2 is deposited on both sides of the laminated package and between cover foils and heat resistant sheets. A portion of metal powder such as Mn, Ti, Nb, Cr, or other metals, having a high affinity to oxygen, inserts into said capsule for absorbtion of oxygen during the heating and forming. After outgassing vacuum heating at 1100-1500.degree. F.