Powder Metallurgy Technologies for Low-Cost Titanium-Based Laminated Armor

Abstract:

Titanium-based materials are attractive candidates to make low-weight armor parts. However, a broad use of titanium is limited by its high cost, especially when traditional cast and wrought technology is in place. This issue requires more economical production and improved protective properties of titanium-based materials. Powder metallurgy is a valid alternative to make products less expensive, especially when low-cost hydrogenated titanium is used instead of high-quality titanium powder. For effective protection, titanium-based armor should exhibit a substantially improved combination of hardness, strength and ductility, which can be achieved by using laminate (layered) structures. In this study, laminates based on Ti-6Al-4V (wt.%) alloy and its composites reinforced with light and hard particles of TiC and TiB were made using blended elemental powder metallurgy of hydrogenated titanium. Simplest press-and-sinter option as well as additional hot isostatic pressing were tested to achieve high set of characteristics of individual layers and laminates as a whole. It has been shown that the used reinforcement presents an exceptional opportunity for hardening of Ti-based composites without compromising their low specific weight and capable of hardness increase by more than 40% compared to the base alloy. Fabricated structures were ballistic tested and compared with open data on commercial armor made of titanium.

• Periodical: Key Engineering Materials (Volume 1009)
• Pages: 89-96
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/p-w8AhGI
• Online since: March 2025
• Authors: Sergey V. Prikhodko*, Pavlo E. Markovsky, Dmytro G. Savvakin, Orest M. Ivasishin, Oleksandr Stasiuk, Denis Oryshych
• Keywords: Armor, Ballistic Protection, Laminates, Mechanical Properties, Microstructure, Titanium Alloy, Titanium Matrix Composite

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