Influence of Sintering Temperature on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Ti-Mo-B4C Composites

Ti-10 wt% Mo-1 wt% B4C composite samples were SPSed under the circumstances of 5 min dwell time, 50 MPa external pressure and sintering temperatures of 1150 degrees C, 1300 degrees C and 1450 degrees C. The role of sintering temperature on the relative density, microstructure and mechanical characteristics of as-sintered specimens were studied. Near fully dense relative density was obtained for the samples sintered at 1450 degrees C. The best mechanical properties including UTS, elongation, bending strength and micro/macro hardness were achieved for the composites SPSed at the highest temperature. The XRD results and also microscopic photographs disclosed the formation of TiB + TiC in-situ phases. However, there was not any evidence for chemical reaction between Mo and other phases. The role of produced in-situ phases on the grain growth also studied using SEM fractographs. Graphic

Automated summary

The study investigated the effect of sintering temperature on Ti-10 wt% Mo-1 wt% B4C composite samples, showing that higher temperature resulted in near fully dense relative density and improved mechanical properties. XRD and SEM analysis indicated the formation of TiB and TiC in-situ phases, as well as the impact of these phases on grain growth.