Microstructure and mechanical properties of TiB2-SiC ceramic composites by Reactive Hot Pressing

TiB2-SiC ceramic composites with different contents of Ni as additive were prepared by the Reactive Hot Pressing (RHP) process. About 8 vol.% of elongated TiB2 grains with an aspect ratio of 3-6 and a diameter of 0.5-1 μm were produced. The TiB2-SiC ceramic composite containing 5 wt.% Ni additions had the optimum mechanical properties with a flexural strength of 858 MPa, fracture toughness of 8.6 MPa·m1/2 and hardness of 20.2 GPa.