The manuscript presents a close examination of the titanium and aluminum platters manufactured by explosive welding method. In particular, the microstructure changes of the Al/Ti wavy shape interface after annealing at 773 and 903 K were studied. Three stable TiAl₃, TiAl, and Ti₃Al and a metastable TiAl₂ intermetallic phases have been formed in the state directly after explosive welding. The orientation map and TEM images obtained after explosive welding process showed very fine grains of aluminum mixed with intermetallics in the interface region between the peninsulas or islands. After annealing for 100 h the TiAl₃ continuous layer was obtained; however, the layer achieved at 903 K was much wider than that obtained at 773 K. An examination of the growth kinetics at 903 K revealed that incubation time was less than 5 min. After this period, the growth was solely governed by chemical reaction.

Al-rich 94Al–6Mn and 94Al–4Mn–2Fe alloys were suction-cast to evaluate the feasibility of obtaining bulk quasicrystal-strengthened Al-alloys at intermediate cooling rates alloyed with non-toxic, easily accessible and affordable additions. The influence of different cooling rates on the potential formation of a quasicrystalline phase was examined by means of scanning and transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry. Increased cooling rates in the thinnest castings entailed a change in sample phase composition. The highest cooling rates turned out to be insufficient to form an icosahedral quasicrystalline phase (I-phase) in the binary alloy. Instead, an orthorhombic approximant phase occurred (L-phase). The addition of Fe to the 94Al–6Mn binary alloy enhanced the formation of a quasicrystalline phase. At intermediate cooling rates of 10²–10³ K/s, various metastable phases were formed, including decagonal and icosahedral quasicrystals and their approximants. Rods (1 mm in diameter) composed of I-phase particles embedded in Al matrix exhibited a hardness of 1.5 GPa, much higher than the 1.1 GPa of 94Al–6Mn.