Work conducted on a metal-bonded titanium-carbide material made by the infiltration technique shows impact strength superior to the conventional cemented titanium-carbide materials. A fine isolated carbide phase seems to provide improved toughness, and the infiltration process appears capable of producing such a structure. Stress-rupture properties compare quite favorably with those of Alloy X-40. At 1800 F at a stress of 15,000 psi, the life of some of the infiltrated titanium-carbide grades is over 1000 times that of cast X-40.

Processwise, the infiltration technique permits the use of low pressures for compacting the powders, making possible direct pressing of complex shapes. The infiltration per se permits the production of void free bodies of remarkably true shape and close dimensional tolerances, and in many aspects is strikingly similar to precision casting.

Infiltrated titanium-carbide products may very well prove to be excellent high-temperature materials for use above 1600 F.