Spark plasma sintering of discontinuously reinforced titanium matrix composites: densification, microstructure and mechanical properties — a review

Titanium matrix composites (TMCs) reinforced with discontinuous ceramics and carbonaceous materials are increasingly attracting the attention of researchers and material engineers for applications in aerospace, defence, automotive and industrial plants owing to their exceptional heat and wear resistance, lightweight, high specific strength and stiffness. Recently, several findings related to the development of various discontinuously reinforced titanium matrix composites (DRTMCs) consolidated by spark plasma sintering (SPS) have been reported in the literature. It is imperative to summarize the significant findings of these studies to further understanding on the evolution of these new materials and serve as a guide for future works. Therefore, in this work, a detailed overview of the microstructural, mechanical, wear and oxidation characteristics of spark plasma sintered (SPSed) DRTMCs is presented, and wide-ranging information, and possible research directions on the aforementioned subjects, are provided. Determination of the critical reinforcement fractions and establishment of an appropriate processing technique that promotes uniform reinforcement dispersion and realization of innovative structural architecture that brings specialized functions to the components of the matrix have been established as a practical approach to advance the properties and widen the areas of application of SPSed DRTMCs.