An alternative method for manufacturing high-strength CP Ti-SiC composites by accumulative roll bonding process

For the first time, the accumulative roll bonding (ARB) process was used as an effective alternative method for manufacturing Ti-SiC composites and compared with the monolithic ARBed Ti. High-strength monolithic commercially pure titanium (CP Ti) and CP Ti-SiC composites with effective uniform reinforcement distribution were fabricated by this process. The tensile test, Vickers hardness measurements and SEM observations were done for the characterization of materials. A significant increase in yield and tensile strength and a drastic decrease in elongation were observed by applying 8 cycles of ARB process. An unexpectedly slight decrease of yield and tensile strength along with elongation was observed after the sixth ARB cycle for the monolithic sample. It was attributed to the weakening of the bond between the titanium layers in the final cycles. Strength of the composite samples was higher than that of the monolithic sample and did not decrease in the final ARB cycles. This was caused by the significantly improved distribution of SiC particles in the titanium matrix.