Novel double pore structures of TiAl produced by powder metallurgy processing.

A novel preparation process consisting of four stages has been successfully developed to produce Ti 52 Al 48 (at.%) intermetallic compound porous material based on the combined action of making pores arising from the replication of space holders and Kirkendall effect. The porous TiAl exhibits a typical double pore structure, millimeter pores distributed in matrix and micrometer pores embedded in pore walls and struts. Moreover a complete open-cellular structure and homogeneous distribution can be observed and the porosity even more than 80% can be easily achieved. Compressive tests and micrograph observation illustrate that the most suitable sintering temperature should be around 1400 °C for the porous TiAl. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]