Alloying behavior of nanocrystalline Al-Ti-(Si) composite powders via mechanical alloying (MA) has been investigated, and the effect of Si on the microstructural changes during MA was discussed. The microstructures of both MA powders and extruded compacts were examined. In Al-Ti system, the solid solutionized nanocrystalline powders could be obtained by MA. On the contrary, fine Si particles were embedded as an elemental state in the matrix of Al-Ti-Si system because of the brittleness and the negligible solid solubility of Si in Al. After hot extrusion, phase was finely precipitated in Al-10fSTi alloy, and Si particles were dissolved to form phase in Al-10%Ti-2%Si alloy.

Rapidly solidified and mechanically alloyed Al-Ti base alloys were prepared by gas atomization and attritor milling separately. The gas atomized and the mechanically alloyed powders were consolidated after preheating at , and then heat treated isochronally for 1 hour to observe the microstructures and to investigate the mechanical properties. Stable phases of precipitates in the Al-Ti-Si and the Al-Ti-Zr alloys were identified as DO22- and each. Among the alloys, the mechanically alloyed Al-l0Ti-2Si alloy showed superior thermal stability and mechanical properties at elevated temperature. The additions of third elements, such as Si and Zr, to Al-Ti alloys seemed to improve the mechnical properties remarkably by stabilizing the microstructure and the precipitate phases in the consolidated alloys.