Microstructures and mechanical properties of ceramics reinforced titanium matrix fabricated by pulsed electric current sintering

Abstract

The evolution of microstructures and the mechanical properties of the fabricated compacts were analyzed following pulsed electric current sintering (PECS) of ceramics reinforced titanium samples. The Vickers microhardness values of the fabricated samples range from 181.1 HV1 to 277.6 HV1. The addition of the ceramic reinforcements enhanced the hardness property of the fabricated samples. The relative densities of the fabricated samples range from 94.3% to 99.5%, demonstrating that the PECS method enabled good densification and sinterability. The ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of the fabricated samples range from 426.4 MPa to 775.1 MPa. The fabricated composites significantly improved in properties over unreinforced fabricated titanium, attributed to good bonding between the matrix and reinforcement. The microstructures of the fabricated samples revealed a lamellar structure, unreacted and clustered particles. The fracture morphology of the fabricated samples revealed a mixed-mode of ductile and brittle failure.

Keywords

• Ceramic reinforcement
• Ultimate tensile strength
• Microstructures
• Fractography
• Mechanical properties