Abstract: Direct reaction synthesis(DRS), based on the principle of self-propagating hightemperature synthesis (SHS), is a new method for preparing particulate metal matrix composites (PMMCs). The effects of the temperature of the aluminum melt and the aluminum content in the preform on the phases and structure of the reacted preform have been investigated by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy.It has been shown that TiC phase is prone to be synthesized with the increasing of the temperature of the aluminum melt and the decreasing of the aluminum powder content in the preform, and that the size of TiC particle becomes fine with the increasing of the temperature and the decreasing of the aluminum powder content.

Key words: direct reaction synthesis, particulate composite, Al/TiC