Study of Geometric Parameters and Mechanical Properties of Metal-Based Composites

As the aerospace industry continues to grow, so does the demand for new materials that can withstand high temperatures and corrosive environments. In this paper, materials from the Ti–Al–C system that thrives in the aforementioned environments are studied. The method of measuring the grain size was described according to the relevant standards. The geometrical parameters of titanium carbide and its volume fraction have been determined under the ASTM E112 and ASTM E562 standards, respectively, for two series of specimens that were produced with different parameters and methods. The grain sizes determined are G12 and G12.5 according to ASTM E112. The volume fractions determined for the two series of samples are 20.22 and 17.65%, respectively. Using the above parameters, elastic and shear modulus, and Poisson’s ratio were determined for the specimens tested using RVE modeling. RVE results showed that materials with higher volume fractions and larger average grain size resulted in stiffer materials. Specimens with higher TiC content exhibited higher elastic and shear modules, which were 153.6 and 58.3 GPa, respectively. Poisson’s ratio was the lowest at 0.315. However, the difference was not significant between the specimens, the elasticity and shear modulus, of a specimen with a lower concentration of TiC, are 145 and 55.2 GPa, respectively. Poisson’s ratio was higher and equal to 0.319. Comparing the above properties with the popular aerospace alloy Ti–6Al–4V, both specimens are much stiffer.