Effect of SPS parameters on densification and properties of steel matrix composites

• The steel–TiB2 composites were produced using the Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS).
• The effect of SPS parameters on the properties of composites.
• The fully dense of composites were obtained by SPS method at sintering temperature of 1100 °C.
• The changes in the physical, mechanical and tribological properties and microstructure depending on sintering conditions.

The steel–TiB2 composites were fabricated by Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) process. The effect of the sintering temperature (1000 °C and 1100 °C) and time (5 and 30 min) on the microstructure, densification, and physical as well as mechanical properties of the composites was investigated. The experimental data showed that maximum relative density of 97–99% was achieved for composites sintered at 1100 °C. The characterization of the composites was performed by X-ray Diffraction and Scanning Electron Microscopy. The mechanical properties such as microhardness and compression strength were investigated. The microstructural study revealed that the TiB2 particles were distributed uniformly in the steel matrix. The results show that Young’s modulus, microhardness and compression strength of composites increased with the increase of sintering temperature. The highest physical and mechanical properties were obtained for the composites sintered at 1100 °C for 30 min.