Development of spark plasma sintered conductive SiC–TiB2 composites for electrical discharge machining applications

Abstract

AbstractHighly dense electrically conductive silicon carbide (SiC)–(0, 10, 20, and 30 vol%) titanium boride (TiB2) composites with 10 vol% of Y2O3–AlN additives were fabricated at a relatively low temperature of 1800°C by spark plasma sintering in nitrogen atmosphere. Phase analysis of sintered composites reveals suppressed β→α phase transformation due to low sintering temperature, nitride additives, and nitrogen sintering atmosphere. With increase in TiB2 content, hardness increased from 20.6 to 23.7 GPa and fracture toughness increased from 3.6 to 5.5 MPa m1/2. The electrical conductivity increased to a remarkable 2.72 × 103 (Ω cm)–1 for SiC–30 vol% TiB2 composites due to large amount of conductive reinforcement, additive composition, and sintering in nitrogen atmosphere. The successful electrical discharge machining illustrates potential of the sintered SiC–TiB2 composites toward extending the application regime of conventional SiC‐based ceramics.