TiCw/TiC ceramics composites: SPS preparation, thermal and mechanical properties

Abstract

Plasma sintering (SPS) is an effective method for improving the strength and hardness properties of materials. A method for adding TiC whiskers is proposed to simultaneously enhance thermal and mechanical properties of TiC-based ceramic composites through discharge SPS technology. TiC whiskers (ranging from 0 to 5 wt%) were incorporated into commercial TiC-based ceramics as a reinforcement material. The results demonstrate that the addition of TiC whiskers significantly improves both the thermal and mechanical properties of the composites, with the material containing 5 wt% whiskers showing the best performance. Specifically, compared to the material without whisker addition, the flexural strength increased by 184.6 %, while the Vickers hardness reached 97.09 GPa, marking an increase of 194.7 %. The compressive strength achieved 532 MPa, and the Young’s modulus reached 14.67 GPa, representing increases of 188.0 % and 155.1 %, respectively. Furthermore, the inclusion of TiC whiskers also enhances thermal properties, with room temperature thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity increasing by 12.9 % and 5.2 %, respectively, compared to the whisker-free material.