<i>In Situ</i> Synthesis of TiB/Ti6Al4V Composites Reinforced with Nano TiB through SPS

Abstract

Titanium matrix composites reinforced with TiB whiskers were in situ synthesized by spark plasma sintering (SPS) at a temperature range of 11731473 K, using a mixture of 6.2 mass% TiB 2 , 4.1 mass% Ti, and 89.7 mass% Ti6Al4V powders. The in-situ synthesis mechanism and the effect of sintering temperature on the sintering microstructure were investigated. The results show that an increase of the sintering temperature causes the relative densities of the composites to increase and the reaction between Ti and TiB 2 to be more complete. Nano-sized TiB reinforcements with a diameter of around 80 nm and fine-grained matrix with an average grain size of 12 µm are obtained after SPSed at 1373 K. Clean and perfect TiB/matrix interfaces without debonding or cracks are obtained during SPS process. Low sintering temperature and short sintering time are believed to be the main reasons for the improved fine-grained microstructure.

High Temperature Deformation Behavior of In-Situ Synthesized Titanium-Based Composite Reinforced with Ultra-Fine TiB Whiskers

“…According to the XRD patterns from Figure 1 b, the grey phase can be identified as the α phase, the bright phase as the β phase and the dark phase as the TiB whisker, respectively. In our previous work [ 16 ], it was reported that the Gibbs free energy of the Ti and B reaction to form TiB was −157 KJ/mol. The initial and completed reaction temperatures between Ti and TiB 2 during spark plasma sintering were approximately 800 °C and 1150 °C.…”

“…There are numerous methods for preparing titanium matrix composites [ 12 , 13 ]. Particularly, the spark plasma sintering (SPS) method is capable of obtaining an in-situ synthesis of TiB reinforcement, where TMCs with a fine matrix structure and ultra-fine reinforcements can be obtained [ 14 , 15 , 16 ]. In this study, TiB/Ti-6Al-4V composite reinforced with ultra-fine TiB whiskers was prepared by the SPS method and the hot deformation behavior of UF-TiB/Ti-6Al-4V composite was studied.…”

Influence of sintering temperature on Ti6Al4V-Si3N4-ZrO2 ternary composites prepared by spark plasma sintering

“…Titanium matrix composites have gained wide recognition because of their excellent mechanical properties, and they have been employed extensively in manufacturing structural parts for the automotive, submarine, biomedical, aircraft, and other technical sectors [2,3]. According to reports, Ti-6Al-4V, a typical a/b titanium alloy, is the most used titanium alloy [4]. The weak tribological qualities caused by the low hardness, a high coefficient of friction, and corrosion characteristics, however, prohibit the titanium alloy from being used in many more applications as it degrades at high temperatures, which limits its use in situations where improved mechanical qualities at high temperatures are essential [5,6].…”

Microstructure and Properties of h-BN-Reinforced Titanium Alloy Matrix Composite Fabricated with Optimized Spark Plasma Sintering Parameters

“…SPS make use of both internal and external heating sources largely by means of electric spark discharge called spark plasma produced by using lowvoltage and large-pulse direct current (Joule heating) added with a uniaxial pressure. SPS process eliminates the need for sintering aids and offers enormous advantages such as fast heating and cooling rates, reduced sintering times, suppressed coarsening and grain growth, improved microstructure, higher densi cation plus better mechanical properties when compared to the conservative hot-pressing technology [23,25,[27][28].…”