Transformation studies and mechanical properties of melt-quenched amorphous titanium-silicon alloys

The formation, stability and decomposition characteristics of the amorphous phase in binary titanium-silicon alloys rapidly quenched from the molten state have been investigated. Electron microscopy and diffraction coupled with X-ray diffraction techniques suggested that the amorphous phase could be obtained in alloys containing 15 to 20 at% silicon. The transformation of the amorphous phase to the equilibrium phases took place in two stages. A metastable b c c titanium solid solution, containing silicon in excess of the equilibrium value, formed initially, followed by the precipitation of the Ti₅Si₃ intermetallic compound. Microstructural features at various stages of decomposition have been described and interpreted in terms of the constitution of the alloys. Mechanical properties of the amorphous alloys have also been investigated.