Rapid Fabrication of Nano-structured Ti_5Si_3-TiC Composites by Spark Plasma Sintering

Nano Ti5Si3-TiC composites were in situ fabricated through spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique using Ti and SiC powders without any additive. The phase constituent of the samples was analyzed by X-ray diffraction techniques and microstructures were observed by scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope. The fracture toughness at room temperature was also measured by indentation tests. The results show that the Ti5Si3-TiC composite can be fabricated by means of the reactive sintering method in a relatively short time (8 min) and at a lower temperature (1260 ℃), with a fine microstructure (TiC grain size 200nm).