High-temperature reaction consolidation of TaC-TiB2 ceramic composites by spark-plasma sintering

Dense TaC-TiB2 composites were obtained by reactive spark plasma sintering (SPS). Effect of TaC content, consolidation temperature on microstructure and mechanical properties is reported. High temperature reactive spark plasma consolidation ensures formation of (Ta,Ti)C and (Ti,Ta)(C,B) solid solutions and leads to microstructure refinement as compared to monolithic TaC and TiB2 ceramics consolidated by SPS at identical temperatures. TaC-TiB2 ceramic SPSed at 2000 degrees C for 5 min exhibits fracture toughness and hardness of 5.8 MPa m(1/2) and 28.8 +/- 1.1 GPa, respectively. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.