Effect of C/Mo duplex coating on the interface and tensile strength of SiCf/Ti-21Al-29Nb composites

SiC fiber-reinforced Ti-21Al-29Nb matrix composites with either C and C/Mo duplex coatings were prepared by the foil-fiber-foil (FFF) method, in order to comparatively study the effects of C/Mo duplex coatings on the interface and mechanical properties of the composites. The longitudinal tensile strength of the as-prepared composites was measured at room temperature. In order to study the interfacial thermal stability and microstructure evolution characteristics of the composites, vacuum thermal exposures of the composites were carried out at 800, 900 or 940 °C for different durations. The interfacial microstructures of the as-prepared and thermally-exposed composites were investigated by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The results indicate that the C/Mo duplex coating does not only have better thermal stability, but also can further slow down the interfacial reaction of the composites in comparison with the C single coating. The diffusion of a small amount of Mo atoms made the matrix close to the interface have better plasticity, so the tensile strength of the composites can be further improved. The interface of the composite with the C/Mo duplex coating was nearly intact after the 940 °C/50 h thermal exposure while that of the composite with the C single coating was not intact, as the C/Mo duplex coating can better relax the thermal residual stresses than the C single coating.