Formation of interfacial microstructures of Mo‐coating modified SiCf/Mo/Ti‐6Al‐4V composites

This paper addresses the role of Mo coating to modify the interface of SiC fiber reinforced Ti‐6Al‐4V composite (SiC_f/Mo/Ti‐6Al‐4V). The formation of microstructure as well as the diffusion of elements in the interface of as‐prepared and heat‐treated SiC_f/Mo/Ti‐6Al‐4V composites was investigated. The results show that the phases formed at the interfacial zone are: Mo coating∣TiC∣Mo + β‐Ti∣β‐Ti∣β‐Ti + α‐Ti_strip, ordering from fiber to matrix. Mo coating can effectively hinder the diffusion of elements between the matrix and fiber to some extent, thus it can inhibit fiber/matrix interfacial reaction and protect the fiber from damage. It is believed that the β‐Ti layer formed around the interface can improve the formability of composites. Furthermore, it indicates that Mo coating exhibits excellent thermal stability bellow 700 °C according to the heat treatment of the composites at 700 °C for up to 200 h. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.