Densification, solid solution formation, and microstructural investigation of reactive pressureless sintered HfB2-TiB2-SiC-MoSi2 quadruplet composite

Abstract

Dense HfB2-TiB2-SiC-MoSi2 quadruplet composite was produced by a reactive pressureless sintering method at 2050 °C for 5 h. The relative density was improved and reached 98% by in situ formation of SiC and MoSi2 phases. Microstructural studies proved that SiC and MoSi2 second phases were mostly formed during the sintering process. Moreover, the Sintering mechanism of the composite was investigated by HSC software. TiB2 co-matrix was improved the sinterability of the composite by the formation of (Hf,Ti,Mo)–B and (Hf,Ti,Mo)–C solid solutions.Mechanical properties such as Vickers hardness (23.2 GPa), fracture toughness (5.4 MPa m1/2), and elastic modulus (430 GPa) were effectively enhanced by tailoring the composite.