Microstructures and mechanical properties of B4C-TiB2-SiC composites fabricated by ball milling and hot pressing

B4C-TiB2-SiC composites were fabricated via hot pressing using ball milled B4C, TiB2, and SiC powder mixtures as the starting materials. The impact of ball milling on the densification behaviors, mechanical properties, and microstructures of the ceramic composites were investigated. The results showed that the refinement of the powder mixtures and the removal of the oxide impurities played an important role in the improvement of densification and properties. Moreover, the formation of the liquid phases during the sintering was deemed beneficial for densification. The typical values of relative density, hardness, bending strength, and fracture toughness of the composites reached 99.20%, 32.84 GPa, 858 MPa and 8.21 MPa m(1/2), respectively. Crack deflection, crack bridging, crack branching, and microcracking were considered to be the potential toughening mechanisms in the composites. Furthermore, numerous nano-sized intergranular/intragranular phases and twin structures were observed in the B4C-TiB2-SiC composite.