Controlled Synthesis of TiB2-TiC Composite: Substantiation of the Homogenizing Joule Thermostatting Efficiency and Improvement of SHS-Compaction Technology in a Vacuum

Abstract

This research aims to improve and substantiate the efficiency of homogenization heat-stabilizing Joule heating on ceramic-matrix composites of TiB2-TiC system with a 2:1 component ratio during its synthesis. For this purpose, an improved technological approach is proposed, which is based on the known method of SHS-compacting but differs by the possibility of controlled Joule influence on the synthesis products, which is achieved by the use of a special electrothermal vacuum press-mold functioning according to a particular control algorithm. The task of controlled Joule heating is a compensation of the temperature gradient formed in the synthesized workpiece, which is solved by passing in it a direct current directed in line with the vector of propagation of the combustion wave. An indicator of assessment of the degree of compensation of the noted temperature gradient is the Seebeck effect, excited between the upper and lower surface of the SHS workpiece, which should be brought to zero in the process of Joule thermostatting. It was experimentally revealed that compensation of the noted temperature gradient with heat released predominantly by electrically conductive and Joule-heated TiC grains leads to their softening, which contributes to more uniform compaction of the workpiece due to diffusion coalescence of these grains around prism-shaped hard TiB2 crystals. Such consolidation leads to a significant increase in the quality of structural packaging and a reduction in the number and volume of micropores, as a result of which the performance properties of the composite improve on average by 10–15 %.