Regular ArticleDensification of high-strength B4C-TiB2 composites fabricated by pulsed electric current sintering of TiC-B mixture

The densification and mechanical properties of B4C-TiB2 composites fabricated by reactive pulsed electric current sintering from a mixture of TiC and amorphous B powders were investigated. The excess of B was essential to remove the carbon produced by the reaction. The degassing process at 1900 °C before applying a 50 MPa external pressure greatly improved the densification of the composites. The B4C-41 vol% TiB2 composite obtained at the optimum condition had a high 3-point bending strength of 891 MPa, a Vickers hardness of 28 GPa and a fracture toughness of 4.4 MPa m1/2, respectively.

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