Microstructures and mechanical properties of TiAl alloys consolidated by spark plasma sintering

In the present study, the spark plasma sintering technique is used to densify pre-alloyed TiAl powders. Ti49Al47Cr2Nb2 and Ti51Al44Cr2Nb2B1 powders are sintered at temperatures ranging between 1100 °C and 1250 °C to yield various microstructures. Two-phased (γ + α2), duplex and lamellar microstructures are generated depending on the powder and the sintering temperature. Full compaction is achieved in a short period of time and the overall processing duration does not exceed 30 min. The resultant tensile properties at room temperature are very promising whereas a limited creep resistance was obtained at 700 °C