METHOD FOR PRODUCING ULTRA PURE TITANIUM ALUMINIDE WIRE FOR ARC-SPRAY FEED

METAL-MATRIX COMPOSITES ARE BEING CONSIDERED AS EXCEPTIONALLY USEFUL MATERIALS TO REPLACE VERY-HIGH-PERFORMANCE, LIGHT-METAL ALLOYS AND SUPER-ALLOYS FOR VERY HIGH THRUST-PER-POUND AIRCRAFT PROPULSION DEVICES. THERE ARE MANY MANUFACTURING DIFFICULTIES WITH THESE MATERIALS, HOWEVER, A MAJOR ONE IS THE CONSOLIDATION OF CONTINUOUS FIBER REINFORCEMENT WITH THE MATRIX INTO A USEFUL INTERMEDIATE PRODUCT SUCH AS TAPES. ONE PARTICULARLYATTRACTIVE WAY OF DOING THIS IS BY THE USE OF ARC-SPRAY TRANSPORT OF THE INTERMETALLIC MATERIAL. SUCH A PROCESS REQUIRES AN UNCONTAMINATED-WIRE FEED MATERIAL. MANUFACTURE OF SUCH A WIRE BY CONVENTIONAL MEANS IS VERY DIFFICULT, IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE. THIS WORK AIMS TO DEMONSTRATE THE FEASIBILITY OF MAKING AN ULTRA-HIGH-PURITY, INTERMETALLIC WIRE MATERIAL BY CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION OF TITANIUM ALUMINIDE ON A VERY SMALL, HIGH-PURITY, SEED WIRE. THIS METHOD NOT ONLY PROVIDES A CONVENIENT WAY OF MAKING THE WIREWITHOUT CONVENTIONAL DRAWING PROBLEMS BUT ALSO THE PROSPECT OF ELIMINATING THE PROBLEM OF INTERSTITIAL CONTAMINATION. METAL-MATRIX COMPOSITES ARE BEING CONSIDERED AS EXCEPTIONALLY USEFUL MATERIALS TO REPLACE VERY-HIGH-PERFORMANCE, LIGHT-METAL ALLOYS AND SUPER-ALLOYS FOR VERY HIGH THRUST-PER-POUND AIRCRAFT PROPULSION DEVICES. THERE ARE MANY MANUFACTURING DIFFICULTIES WITH THESE MATERIALS, HOWEVER, A MAJOR ONE IS THE CONSOLIDATION OF CONTINUOUS FIBER REINFORCEMENT WITH THE MATRIX INTO A USEFUL INTERMEDIATE PRODUCT SUCH AS TAPES. ONE PARTICULARLYATTRACTIVE WAY OF DOING THIS IS BY THE USE OF ARC-SPRAY TRANSPORT OF THE INTERMETALLIC MATERIAL. SUCH A PROCESS REQUIRES AN UNCONTAMINATED-WIRE FEED MATERIAL. MANUFACTURE OF SUCH A WIRE BY CONVENTIONAL MEANS IS VERY DIFFICULT, IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE. THIS WORK AIMS TO DEMONSTRATE THE FEASIBILITY OF MAKING AN ULTRA-HIGH-PURITY, INTERMETALLIC WIRE MATERIAL BY CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION OF TITANIUM ALUMINIDE ON A VERY SMALL, HIGH-PURITY, SEED WIRE. THIS METHOD NOT ONLY PROVIDES A CONVENIENT WAY OF MAKING THE WIREWITHOUT CONVENTIONAL DRAWING PROBLEMS BUT ALSO THE PROSPECT OF ELIMINATING THE PROBLEM OF INTERSTITIAL CONTAMINATION.