Ti3Si(Al)C2-based ceramics fabricated by reactive melt infiltration with Al70Si30 alloy

Dense Ti3Si(Al)C2-based ceramics were synthesized using reactive melt infiltration (RMI) of Al70Si30 alloy into the porous TiC preforms. The effects of the infiltration temperature on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the synthesized composites were investigated. All the composites infiltrated at different temperatures were composed of Ti3Si(Al)C2, TiC, SiC, Ti(Al, Si)3 and Al. With the increase of infiltration temperature from 1050 °C to 1500 °C, the Ti3Si(Al)C2 content increased to 52 vol.% and the TiC content decreased to 15 vol.%, and the Vickers hardness, flexural strength and fracture toughness of Ti3Si(Al)C2-based composite reached to 9.95 GPa, 328 MPa and 4.8 MPa m1/2, respectively.