Preparation of B4C composites toughened by TiB2-SiC agglomerates

High-performance B4C composites toughened by TiB2-SiC agglomerates were fabricated via reactive hot pressing with B4C, TiC and Si as raw materials. The TiB2-SiC composite serves as a composite toughening phase formed in the B4C matrix through an in situ reaction; its agglomerates are composed of interlocked TiB2 and SiC, which can remarkably improve the toughness of the B4C composites. The Vickers hardness, flexural strength and fracture toughness of the B4C-TiB2-SiC composite reached 35.18 +/- 0.45 GPa, 567 +/- 14 MPa, and 6.38 +/- 0.18 MPa m(1/2) respectively. The special toughening structure of the TiB2-SiC composite introduced into B4C ceramics was evaluated for the first time in this study. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.