Directionally solidified （DS） specimens of Nb-Ti-Si based ultrahigh temperature alloy were heat-treated at （1 500 ℃, 50 h） and （1 500 ℃, 50 h） ＋ （1 100 ℃, 50 h）, respectively. The results show that the microstructures become uniform, the long and big primary （Nb,X）sSi3 （X represents Ti and Hf elements） plates in the DS specimens are broken into small ones, and the eutectic cells lose their lamellar morphology and their interfaces become blurry after heat-treatment. Meanwhile, the （Nb,X）sSi3 slices in the eutectic cells of the DS specimens coarsen obviously after heat-treatment. Homogenizing and aging treatments could effectively eliminate elemental microsegregation, and the segregation ratios of all elements in niobium solid solution （Nbss） in different regions tend to 1. After heat-treatment, the microhardness of retained eutectic cells increases evidently, and the maximum value reaches HV1 404.57 for the specimen directionally solidified with a withdrawing rate of 100 μm/s and then heat-treated at （1 500 ℃, 50 h） ＋ （1 100 ℃, 50 h）, which is 72.8 % higher than that under DS condition.
To investigate the effects of homogenizing and aging treatments on the microstructure of an Nb-Ti-Cr-Si based ultrahigh temperature alloy,coupons were homogenized at 1 200-1 500 °C for 24 h,and then aged at 1 000 °C for 24 h.The results show that the heat-treated alloy is composed of Nb solid solution（Nbss）,（Nb,X）5Si3 and Cr2Nb phases.With the increase of heat-treatment temperature,previous Nbss dendrites transformed into equiaxed grains,and petal-like Nbss/（Nb,X）5Si3 eutectic colonies gradually changed into small（Nb,X）5Si3 particles distributed in Nbss matrix.A drastic change occurred in the morphology of the Laves phase after homogenizing treatment.Previously coarse Cr2Nb blocks dissolved during homogenizing at temperature above 1 300 °C,and then much finer and crowded Cr2Nb flakes precipitated in the Nbss matrix in cooling.Aging treatment at 1 000 °C for 24 h led to further precipitation of fine particles of Laves phase in Nbss matrix and made the difference in concentrations of Ti,Hf and Al in Nbss,（Nb,X）5Si3 and Cr2Nb phases reduced.
