A composite lightweight engine
poppet valve (10, 110, 210) that has a valve head portion (12, 112, 212) and at least a portion of the stem portion (14, 114, 214) made from a
titanium intermetallic material attached by way of a
solid state attachment to a
nickel base
alloy transition piece (16, 116, 216) that is
heat treated for high
creep resistance. The tip portion (18, 118, 218) made from conventional material is first attached to one end of the transition piece. The transition piece (16, 116,216) is
cut to a desired length and then attached preferably by
friction welding to the
titanium intermetallic stem portion (14, 114, 214) at a preselected distance (d1, d2, or d3). The tip portion (18, 118, 218) made from conventional material is then attached to the other end of the transition piece. In another embodiment, a second hollow stem portion (215) is attached to the transition piece (216) and the tip portion (218) is then attached thereto.