Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of TiC/Ti Composites with Laminated Structure

In order to balance the strength and ductility of titanium matrix composites (TMCs), the graphene oxides (GOs) were electrophoretically deposited on pure Ti foils, then the deposited Ti foils were treated by spark plasma sintering (SPS) process, and finally the in-situ TiC/Ti composites with layered structures were obtained. In order to further ameliorate the comprehensive mechanical properties, the sintered composites were subjected to cold rolling and annealing. Results show that GOs on the Ti foil surface reacts with Ti matrix to form the in-situ TiC phases during sintering process, thus forming TiC/Ti layered composites. With increasing the deposition duration, the content of TiC distributed between Ti layers is increased. After cold rolling and annealing, the grains of annealed composites are equiaxed, and the TiC still presents the layered distribution characteristic. When the deposition duration is 120 s, the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and the elongation (delta) of sintered material are 555 MPa and 15%, respectively; UTS and delta of annealed material are 568 MPa and 27%, respectively. Compared with the sintered materials, the annealed material achieves good strength- plasticity synergy. In addition, the strengthening and toughening mechanisms of composites were discussed based on the analysis of microstructure and fracture behavior.

Automated summary

Graphene oxides (GOs) were electrophoretically deposited on pure Ti foils to form in-situ TiC/Ti layered composites, which were further improved in comprehensive mechanical properties by cold rolling and annealing. The results showed that the TiC content increased with the deposition duration, and the TiC still maintained layered distribution after annealing. The annealed material achieved good strength-plasticity synergy, with a tensile strength of 568 MPa and an elongation of 27%. The strengthening and toughening mechanisms of the composites were discussed based on microstructure and fracture behavior analysis.