ISSN :2319 3182, Volume-2, Issue-4, 2013 12 Microstructural and Mechanical Characteristics ofin-situ Titanium Metal Matrix Composites K. Srinivasa Vadayar1, S. Devaki Rani2 & V.V. Bhanu Prasad3 1&2 Dept. of Met. Engineering, JNTUH, College of Engineering, Kukatpally, Hyderabad-85. 3Scientist G, CCG, DMRL, Kanchanbagh, Hyderabad-58 E-mail : ksvadayar@rediffmail.com, AbstractDiscontinuouslyreinforcedtitaniummatrix composites(DRTMCs)areemergingasanalternateto titaniumanditsalloysforambientandelevated temperatureapplications.Thepresentinvestigationdeals withP/MprocessingofDRTMCsandtheir characterization. Ti & B4C (1200#, d50 3m ) powders in threedifferentproportionswereblended,compactedand pressurelesssinteredresultinginTimatrixcomposites with10,20&30vol.%ofTiB-TiCreinforcements. Completion of reaction between Ti and B4C resulting in Ti, TiBandTiCwasconfirmedthroughXRDand microstructural study by SEM.Density, flexural strength, hardnessandelasticmodulusweremeasured.TMCs exhibitedbettermechanicalpropertiesincomparisonto unreinforced titanium. Keywords:ElasticModulus,Flexuralstrength,Titanium matrix composites, SEM. I.INTRODUCTION Discontinuouslyreinforcedtitaniummatrix composites(DRTMCs)areofconsiderableinterestfor structural,thermalandarmourapplicationsduetothe potentialformakingcompositeswithhighspecific modulus and strength at relatively low costs. Ranganath etal.[1]producedTi-TiB-TiCcompositesby combustionassistedsynthesisofTi-B4C(CAS)using arcmeltingtechnique.Thisprocesscouldnotbe followedforsynthesizingcompositeshavinghigher volumefractionsofreinforcementsduetonon uniformity in microstructures. Panda et al. and Sahay et al. [2,3] studied a series of TMCs, with varying volume fractions(30%to90%)ofTiBneedles,madebyhot pressingtheTi-TiB2powders.Itwasreportedthat morphology of TiB needlechanges depending upon the reinforcement volume fraction in the composite. Bhat et al.[4]producedin-situTMCscontaininghighvolume fractionsofTiB,TiB-TiC,byhotpressingtheTi-TiB2 andTi-B4Cpowders,respectively.Theirstudyreported formationofTiBneedlesinformercasewhileTiB particles in the latter case. Ma et al. [5] prepared Ti-TiB compositeswithlowvolumefractions(