The TiB2-based Fe-matrix composites fabricated using elemental powders in one step process by means of SHS combined with pseudo-HIP

The TiB2-Fe cermets with the volume fraction of Fe from 5 to 37% were fabricated from elemental powder “in situ” via SHS simultaneously with pressing by using p-HIP. The relative density, average TiB2 grain size and the Vickers hardness of composites were strongly affected by the concentration of TiB2. The maximum microhardness measured for cermet with 5 vol.% of Fe reached 21.9 GPa, despite essential porosity. The relative density raised significantly to 95-96%, when the volume fraction of binder increased to 25%, however at the cost of deteriorated Vickers hardness. As the result, the hardness was reduced to 3.7 GPa for cermets with 37 vol.% of binder. Considering the relative density, microstructure and hardness Fe addition of 20-25 vol.% is optimal for TiB2-Fe cermets fabricated using this method.