Compressive properties of porous Ti–Al alloys fabricated by reaction synthesis using a space holder powder

We attempted to produce a porous Ti–20 at% Al alloy by pressure-sintering of a mixed powder of Ti and Al with a NaCl space holder to achieve porosity of 60%. As-sintered specimens exhibited an inhomogeneous microstructure consisting of Ti particles surrounded by a Ti–Al alloy layer. However, a nearly single-phase Ti3Al microstructure appeared in the porous specimen heat-treated at 1300 °C, which shows high plateau-stress level of approximately 100 MPa resulting in high absorption energy. Thus, controlling the microstructure for the formation of the Ti3Al single-phase would be effective to achieve high energy absorption capacity of the porous Ti–Al alloy.