Preparation of Mg-Ti System Alloy and FGM with Density Gradient by Spark Plasma Sintering Technique

A new kind of functionally graded materials (FGM) with density gradient has come to show great potentials as flier-plates for creating quasi-isotropic compression waves.In order to meet the demand of lower density in the front face for such flier-plate,Mg with a low density of 1.74g/cm3 is selected to make a Mg-Ti FGM.Mg-Ti alloys with various weight ratios were sintered by spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique at relative low temperatures,and the processing of densification is mainly investigated.It is found that,up to 75wt%Ti,the Mg-Ti alloys can be fully densified at 560℃ due to the conglutination of Mg and the formation of a small amount of Mg-Ti solid solution.Finally,the Mg-Ti FGM with a density gradient from 1.74g/cm3 to 3.23g/cm3 is successfully fabricated.

Fabrication and Mechanical Properties of TiC/TiAl Composites

TiC/TiAl composites with different TiC content were fabricated by rapid heating technique of spark plasma sintering (SPS). The effect of TiC particles on microstructure and mechanical properties of TiAl Matrix was investigated. The results indicate that grain sizes of TiAl matrix decrease and mechanical properties are improved because of the addition of TiC particles. The composites display a 26.8% increase in bending strength when 10 wt% TiC is added and 43.8% improvement in fracture toughness when 5 wt% TiC is added compared to values of TiC-free materials. Grain-refinement and dispersion-strengthening were the main strengthening mechanism. The improvement of fracture toughness was due to the deflexion of TiC particles to the crack.

Microstructures and Mechanical Properties of TiC Particle Reinforced TiAl Composites by Spark Plasma Sintering

Using spark plasma sintering（SPS） technique, TiC particle reinforced γ-TiAl composites were prepared with varying weight fraction of TiC powders. The effects of the TiC fractions and distributions on the properties of the composites were investigated. The composite containing 7wt% TiC had the optimum three-point bending strength of 842 MPa,which was 200 MPa greater than that of the unreinforced γ-TiAl intermetallic. The degradation of the bending strength occurred in the composites containing more than 7wt% TiC and this was believed to be attributed to agglomerated particles of TiC, which acted as crack initiation and propagation sites. The increase of strength in TiC reinforced IMCs came from the grain refinement and the interaction of dislocations with the reinforcing particles. The bending strength of the IMC containing 7wt% TiC was theoretically estimated to increase by 85 MPa and 200 MPa, respectively, by the grain refinement and dislocation strengthening, the total of which was ahnost in accordance with the improvement in that of the unreinforced γ-TiAl intermetallic when considering normal estimation errors.

Passenger Choice Behavior between Direct and Transit Flights——A Case Study on Passengers Using Hub Airports in the Northeast Asian Region

This study analyzes air passenger route choice behavior for long-haul inter-continental travel. It employs the SP （state preference） technique and logit modeling to investigate the impact of route development via neighboring countries in the region. With the Japanese government pursuing an increase in international routes at Haneda International Airport, and the Chinese government planning to construct Beijing Capital Second International Airport by 2019, the competition among airports to serve as hubs in Northeast Asia will increase significantly. Korean passengers will have a greater number of route choices when traveling to North America or Europe, utilizing not only direct flights from Incheon International Airport but also flights via Tokyo or Beijing area airports including Haneda International Airport, Narita International Airport, Beijing Capital International Airport and Beijing Capital Second International Airport. Accordingly, passengers will choose among the alternatives by considering fares and flight times. As such, it is essential for airports to offer flights with competitive prices for transit passengers to become successful competitive airports in the region. Therefore, it will become more important for market decision makers to strive toward more attractive ticket prices and better route network quality.