High temperature mechanical properties of TiC particle reinforced titanium composites

The dynamic mechanical behavior of TiC-particle-reinforced titanium matrix composites TP-650 at high temperatures and strain rate was investigated by using split Hopkinson tension bar (SHTB). The effects of temperature and strain rate on the mechanical properties of the TP-650 composites were analyzed. The results show that there is a complicated coupling effect of temperature and strain rate on the mechanical characteristics of TiC-particle-reinforced titanium matrix composites. Both the strain rate effect and the temperature effect can all be explained by thermal activation theory. Strain rate can affect the movement resistance and probability of the dislocations by changing loading time. Temperature influences the mechanical behavior of material by affecting the deformation mechanism which is controlled by thermal activation barrier. According to Arrhenius flow stress model, a dynamic-high-temperature constitutive relation of TiC-particle-reinforced titanium matrix composites was presented. A good agreement was found between the theoretical predictions and the experimental results.