Superior ductility in as-cast TiC/near-α Ti composite obtained by three-step heat treatment

•Three-step heat treatment was developed successfully.•This new heat treatment leads to the formation of fine equaxied TiC particles.•Room-temperature ductility was enhanced greatly after three-step heat treatment.

In this paper, three-step heat treatment was developed and performed on 8vol.%TiC/Ti–5.8Al–2Zr–1.3Mo–1V composite prepared by in situ casting route. This heat treatment leads to significant changes in microstructure and tensile properties. Matrix microstructure was refined obviously and fine TiC particles with average diameter of 3.6 μm were obtained. The tensile strength and elongation are all improved at room temperature and 600 °C and room-temperature elongation increases to 5.86%.