Fabrication and joining of NiAl and TiAl intermetallics by additive sintering.

To manufacture hard-to-deform intermetallics and their components at high temperatures and for a short-time, a novel additive sintering method based on solid-state powder densification is proposed, which aims to achieve the fabrication and joining of intermetallics. In this study, the sintering and joining of NiAl/NiAl and NiAl/TiAl alloys were conducted using this method. The results show that good bonding was achieved between similar intermetallics of NiAl/NiAl. Nevertheless, due to the formation of brittle phases, defects were observed in the bonding interface of the NiAl/TiAl alloy. An interlayer of V was employed to optimize the microstructure of the interface, which can prevent the formation of the brittle phase and improve the property of the interface. • A additive sintering method is proposed to manufacture dissimilar-material component. • The method can achieve fabrication and joining of dissimilar material simultaneously. • V foil as interlayer eliminates brittle IMCs at the joining interface of NiAl/TiAl. • The NiAl/V/TiAl sample shows significantly improved interfacial property. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]