Synthesis and characterization of TiC-reinforced iron-based composites Part I On synthesis and microstructural characterization

The present investigation establishes a liquid processing route where thermit based reactions have been used to synthesize in-situ TiC-reinforced Fe-based composites in a single step. The main raw material used is siliceous sand, which is a “waste” product of aluminum extraction plants. A dispersion of TiC in Fe-based matrix has been obtained by aluminothermic reduction of siliceous sand, containing oxides of different elements like iron, titanium, silicon etc., in the presence of carbon. The reduction is highly exothermic in nature and leads to a self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) of the Fe-TiC composites. The matrix structure and volume fraction of TiC of the composites have been found to depend upon the amount of carbon added in the charge. It has been found that microstructures of Fe-TiC composites are not stable at high temperature due to the nonstoichiometric nature of TiC particles.