• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
• /
• v.47 no.8
• /
• pp.488-493
• /
• 2009

Direct syntheses of bulk $Ti_3Al$ via electro-discharge-sintering (EDS) of a stoichiometric elemental powder mixture were investigated. A capacitor bank of $450{\mu}F$ was charged with three input energies, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 kJ. The charged capacitor bank was then instantaneously discharged through 0.3 g of a Ti-25.0 at.%Al powder mixture for consolidation. Complete phase transformation occurred in less than $200{\mu}sec$ by the discharge and a bulk $Ti_3Al$ compact was obtained. Compared with consolidated samples fabricated by conventional methods such as high vacuum sintering and casting, the electro-discharge-sintered $Ti_3Al$ compact shows a very fine microstructure with a hardness value of 425 Hv. Electro-discharge-sintering under a $N_2$ atmosphere successfully modified the surface Ti oxide of the $Ti_3Al$ compact into Ti nitride, which concurred with the synthesis and consolidation of $Ti_3Al$. Complete conversion yielding a single phase $Ti_3Al$ is primarily dominated by the fast solid state diffusion reaction.