The influence of mechanical activation on the structure and phase formation of an electro-thermal explosion in the Ti–Zr–C system

Abstract

The TixZr1-xC solid solutions were synthesized by electro-thermal explosion under pressure in the (Ti + Zr + C) blends mechanically activated in hexane (MA-ETE). The effect of mechanical activation (MA) duration on reaction blend characteristics, ETE parameters, phase composition, and microstructure formation in solid solutions was investigated. At MA, the Ti + Zr blend deforms metal crystal lattices for 20 min, complete amorphization occurs for 40 min, and the carbide grains form a cubic structure for 90 min. The single-phase Zr0.50Ti0.50C solid solution with a grain size of 3–5 μm and a submicron composite with a grain size of 0.1–0.2 μm containing the Ti0.86Zr0.14C and Zr0.74Ti0.26C solid solutions were synthesized in a one-stage process for the first time without any additional thermotreatment. The influence of mechanical activation on diffusional mass transfer of reactants, structure, and phase formation is discussed.