Features that accompany sintering of composite materials based on the systems Me IV-V N − Cr and Me IV-V N − Ni in argon, nitrogen, and a vacuum are studied. It is shown that in all cases argon is the most favorable sintering atmosphere. It is established that for all materials there is typically loss of nitrogen by nitrides that is localized in closed pores, volumetric interaction of nitride-forming metal with the metal binder, intermetallic compound formation, and a volumetric increase in binder material after sintering. Structure formation occurs under the action of two solid-phase grain growth mechanisms: coalescence and dissolution − precipitation at the refractory nitride − metal interface. Sintering process recommendations are given for composite materials based on these systems.Analysis of publications [1-6] devoted to studying the phenomena that accompany sintering in the quiasibinary systems Me IV-V N − Cr and Me IV-V N − Ni point to inadequate attention of researchers paid to this question although composite materials based on them (both dispersion strengthened and cermets), judging from the very limited information, are of considerable practical interest. Therefore researches carried out by us connected with solving scientific (establishing features and general regularities of compaction and structure formation for these systems during sintering) and practical (the requirement of studying structure and phase sensitivity of the physicomechanical and operating properties of composite materials) problems are clearly of current interest. As is well known, since the structure and phase composition of a material form during sintering and apart from the original chemical composition they depend to a considerable extent on the production regimes, a study of phenomena that accompany sintering provides the possibility for determining conditions (sintering temperature at which the compaction rate is at a maximum, duration and atmosphere) providing preparation of composite materials with the required set of properties for specific fields of application.Previously there have been studies of features of sintering of composite materials in individual systems Me IV-V N, and in fact TiN − Cr [7], ZrN − Cr and HfN − Cr [8], VN − Cr and TaN − Cr [9], TiN − Ni and ZrN − Ni [10], VN − Ni and TaN − Ni [11]. The current concluding communication is devoted to analytical generalization of the data obtained and establishing common features typical for sintering of quasibinary composites based on nitrides groups IV and V transition metals with metals Ni and Cr. Here features are noted for compaction and structure formation of nitrides of different groups, features of these processes connected with the change in properties in the series HfN − ZrN − TiN − TaN − VN, and the nature of the binder (chromium or nickel), and also with sintering atmosphere (argon, nitrogen, vacuum). On the basis of the features established recommendations are suggested for determining the optimum sintering conditions providing preparation of materials w...
