Investigation and characterization of densification, processing and mechanical properties of TiB2–SiC ceramics

• This paper is first to use induction heating to densify TiB2–SiC ceramic.
• The grinding parameters on microstructure and flexural strength were investigated.
• The residual stress was measured using X-ray diffraction.
• The high-frequency induction heating has more advantages over hot-pressing.

In the present work, high-frequency induction heating was firstly used to densify TiB2–SiC ceramic, and the microstructure analysis indicated that the average grain size of the sample, which was sintered through induction heating, was smaller than that of the sample sintered through hot-pressing. The flexural strength and fracture toughness were improved after refining the grains and increasing the relative density. In order to characterize the densification behavior of TiB2–SiC ceramic sintered through induction heating, the typical curve of measured linear shrinkage of a sample was calculated and used. The tangential and normal grinding forces were substituted by the horizontal and vertical forces measured from the dynamometer in order to characterize intuitively the effect of grinding parameters on the microstructure and residual stress. The above-mentioned results revealed that the high-frequency induction heating has more advantages over hot-pressing. The results and way of these works can be applied to aid materials engineering design for the development of new materials, quality assurance, and characterization assessment of durability.