The method is suitable for the manufacture of flat or shaped
titanium aluminide articles and layered
metal matrix composites such as lightweight plates and sheets for aircraft and automotive applications, thin cross-section vanes and blades, composite electrodes, heat-sinking lightweight electronic substrates, bulletproof structures for vests, partition walls and
doors, as well as for sporting goods such as helmets, golf clubs, sole plates, crown plates, etc. The method includes the following steps: (a) forming a porous preform of the reactive
powder alloy or a porous multi-layer composite preform consisting of reactive
powder metals and alloys by consolidation using at least one method selected from low-temperature loose
sintering in vacuum, high-temperature loose
sintering in vacuum, low-pressure
sintering in an
inert gas, cold pressing, direct
powder rolling, isostatic or die pressing, and other means of
room temperature and warm temperature consolidation, and / or combination thereof, to provide the density not less than 25% from the theoretical density of said reactive
alloy; (b) hot consolidating by
hot pressing said preform, hot rolling,
hot isostatic pressing, or hot
extrusion to obtain the density of 98-100% from the theoretical density of said reactive
alloy; (c) additional sintering and / or annealing at the temperature being at least 900° C. to decrease the
residual porosity, control the
microstructure, and improve the mechanical properties, especially
ductility and / or
plasticity of the resulting
metal sheets or layered composites. The
hot pressing is carried out at the temperature
ranging 950-1700° C., preferably at 1250-1450° C., and at pressure
ranging 50-350 kg / cm<2>. The HIP is carried out at the temperature
ranging 1250-1350° C. and at pressure ranging 15000-40000 psi. The layered composite preform is manufactured by individual loose sintering, one layer of the composite at a time, and assembling them in the desired order. The composite consists of
layers of
titanium and / or
titanium hydride, Ti-6Al-4V alloy, alpha-
titanium aluminide alloy, beta-
titanium aluminide alloy, and gamma-
titanium aluminide alloy in any combinations.