A statistical model for fracture of aligned-whisker-reinforced metals was used to interpret tensile data of a TiB-reinforced titanium alloy. From this analysis, a TiB whisker strength of 8.0 GPa with a Weibull modulus of 2 was predicted. The analysis is consistent with observations of the whisker fragmentation process. Moreover, the analysis rationalizes why high tensile elongation was maintained in this reinforced alloy and identifies the constraints on material properties that are necessary to obtain both high elongation and high strength. (C) 2009 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All. rights reserved.