Method of producing TiC whiskers and metallic composite material reinforced by TiC whiskers.

摘要

Very fine TiC whiskers having a mean diameter smaller than 1 micron are generated by pellets including Ti powder and graphite powder being added to a molten mass of pure Al or an Al alloy, or by a graphite powder being added to a molten mass of an Al alloy containing Ti, with argon gas being blown into the molten mass so as thereby to generate TiC whiskers in void spaces formed in the molten mass by bubbles of the gas. When the molten mass with the TiC whiskers thus formed therein is compressed, the interstices of the TiC whiskers generated in the void spaces are filled with the molten metal so as thereby to form colonial composite material portions dispersed in the molten mass, thus providing a metallic composite material reinforced by very fine TiC whiskers. The density of the colonial composite material portions can be increased by applying a filtering process to the molten mass.