TiC Addition Research Articles

Processing and characterization of aluminium reinforced metal matrix composite

Indeed, in the areas of aerospace, maritime, transportation, military, and structural applications, composite plays a crucial role in material science. It is composed of two or more phases that are physically and chemically different. The composite exhibits hybrid properties compared to those of the separate components. Materials that are built on a metal matrix are known as metal matrix composites (MMC). The reinforcing component is typically spread in the matrix or continuous component. MMC focuses primarily on applications that need wear resistance and moderately high strength. Aluminum matrix composite reinforced with (Titanium Carbide) TiC particulate is effectively manufactured among MMCs utilising a modified stir casting technique at five various weight% of TiC particle addition. Weight fractions of 3%, 4%, 5%, 6%, and 7% were used. The presence of TiC in the cast aluminium matrix was discovered by the use of colour optical graphs, XRD, and EDS investigation. The ultimate tensile strength clearly improved as the percentage of TiC addition was raised, as seen by the results of the microhardness and tensile tests at 7% of TiC.

Properties of TiC-reinforced Cu-W alloys prepared by wire arc additive manufacturing

In this paper, Cu-W alloys with different TiC additions were prepared by wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) technology with Cold Metal Transfer (CMT) melting copper-based flux cored wire. In the additive manufacturing process, W and TiC with high melting point directly transited to the molten pool as solid phase. When the addition of TiC was small, most of TiC was gathered around the W particles in Cu-W alloys, which was conducive to enhancing interface bonding strength. With the increased of TiC content, the electrical conductivity of Cu-W alloys was decreased, microhardness and high temperature wear resistance were increased. When the addition of TiC was more than 3 wt%, the agglomeration of TiC degrades the performance of Cu-W alloys. Cu-W alloys with 3 wt% TiC addition show the best performance, includes high microhardness and high wear resistance with low loss of electrical conductivity.

Effect of TiC/RHA on solid particle erosion of Al6061 hybrid composites fabricated through a 2-step ultrasonic-assisted stir casting process

The development of high wear/erosion resistance materials for defense application is found to be a challenging task among the researchers. The current study investigated the reinforcement effect of TiC and Rice husk ash (RHA) on Al6061 hybrid composites made using a two-step ultrasonic-assisted stir casting process. Four distinct Al6061 hybrid composites were created with varying TiC weight percentages (3, 6, 9, and 12 wt.%). RHA weight percentage was kept constant at 3%. The solid particle erosion test was carried out on each composite using a Taguchi L27 (33) orthogonal array. Experiments were conducted by varying the erodent particle impact angle, erodent velocity, and erodent discharge rate. The effect of each parameter on the erosion rate of the TiC/RHA Al6061 composite was discussed. The composite containing 12% TiC and 3% RHA showed improved erosion resistance. It was found that on increasing the TiC addition in the composite resulted in an increase in erosion resistance. SEM images were used to examine the surface failure on the composites caused by erodent impact.

Enhanced electromagnetic wave absorption performance of multiphase (TiC/TiO2/C)/SiOC composites with unique microstructures

Incorporating multiphases can not only increase the attenuation capacity but also partially alleviate impedance mismatch. In this work, (TiC/TiO2/C)/SiOC composites were prepared from polymer-derived ceramics (PDCs) using a TiC nanoparticle modified polysiloxane (PSO) precursor at 900 °C under an Ar flow. The addition of TiC serves a dual purpose of enhancing conductivity loss and acting as a source of Ti for the generation of TiO2 particles. The combination of these particles with the carbon layer in amorphous SiOC creates a multiphase loss medium that significantly improves not only conductive loss and dipole polarization loss but also interface polarization loss, resulting in excellent impedance matching characteristics and EM wave absorption. Accordingly, the (TiC/TiO2/C)/SiOC with a TiC fraction of 20 wt% indicated a significant minimum reflection loss (RLmin) of −54.2 dB (over 99.999% absorption), and the effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) covered 4.2 GHz with a thickness ranging from 2.5 to 3.3 mm in the X band. A maximum radar cross section (RCS) reduction of 24.6 dBm2 was achieved at a scattering angle of 75°. Thus, the (TiC/TiO2/C)/SiOC composites have the potential to be utilized in radar stealth technology and reduce EM pollution, offering a novel approach to address these challenges.

Preparation and properties of lightweight, conformal, and load‐bearing TiC/Si3N4 absorbing composites by gel casting

AbstractIn view of the lack of conformal, load‐bearing, light‐weight, and high temperature‐resistant integrated wave‐absorbing composites suitable for extremely complex conditions, the gel‐casting process was successfully applied to porous Si3N4 wave‐absorbing composites in this work. A universal low‐slurry for gel casting was prepared by using two dispersants acting together (tetramethylammonium hydroxide solution and sodium lauryl sulfate), which ensured the smooth completion of the gel casting process. Combining the thermogravimetric and differential thermal gravity curves of the composite green body, reasonable parameters of the rubber discharge process are given to avoid the problem of the green body swelling and cracking. The porous TiC/Si3N4 composites were successfully prepared by holding them at 1650°C for 3 h. The bending strength, density, minimum reflection loss, absorption bandwidth, and matched thickness in the P‐band of the composites with 30 wt.% TiC addition were 54.08 ± 3.02 MPa, 1.906 g/cm3, ‐37.75 dB, 1.9 GHz, and 4.1 mm, respectively. The electromagnetic wave loss mechanisms of the composites are a combination of conductivity loss, multiple reflections and scattering, interfacial polarization, and defect polarization.

Study on the enhancement mechanism of (TiC + B4C)/6061Al composite fabricated via vacuum hot-press sintering

In order to explore the hybrid enhancement mechanism of TiC and B4C in 6061Al, the (TiC + B4C)/6061Al composite was fabricated by the vacuum hot-press sintering method at 580 ℃ and 30 MPa, and the microstructure, distribution of elements and tensile properties were analyzed. The results showed that the microstructure of the composite was dense and no defects such as porous were found. Due to the doping of B4C and its decomposition effect in the aluminum matrix, the diffusion of B and C to the aluminum matrix and TiC appeared in the composite. The addition of TiC and B4C particles not only refined the grain size of the aluminum matrix, but also changed the distribution of the Mg2Si phase along the grain boundary inside the aluminum matrix. Due to the addition of particles, the fracture mode of 6061Al changed from ductile fracture to ductile fracture of aluminum matrix and cleavage fracture of particles.

Development of a functional hardness gradient in WC-TiC-Co cemented carbide during gradient sintering

In this study two functionally graded cemented carbide samples with gradients in both composition and grain size have been produced and studied. The two samples are manufactured by local addition of TiC to a pressed WC-Co green body prior to sintering. The two samples differ only by the in-going WC particle size, where one sub-micron and one coarse WC particle size is used. The Ti, Co, and C concentration profiles are analysed using energy−/ and wavelength-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy; Vickers hardness profiles are also measured. Furthermore, the measured experimental concentration profiles are compared with diffusion simulations using the DICTRA software. The concentration and hardness profiles show a similar trend for both samples with decreasing Ti and C concentrations while Co concentration increases with distance from the applied TiC layer. The composition gradient affects the number of stable phases and the WC grain size. Furthermore, there are distinct differences between the samples with different initial WC particle size. The sample with an initially finer WC particle size has a shorter gamma-phase zone and the difference in WC grain size across the gradient is larger as compared to the sample with an initially coarser WC particle size. Finally, abnormal grain growth occurs in both samples but it is suppressed with increasing Ti concentration.

Mechanical and thermal expansion behaviour of TiC-reinforced CoCrFeMnNi high entropy alloy prepared by mechanical alloying and spark plasma sintering

ABSTRACT In this study, TiC-reinforced CoCrFeMnNi high-entropy alloy (HEA) composites were prepared by mechanical alloying (MA) and spark plasma sintering (SPS). The phase composition, microstructure, mechanical and thermal expansion behaviour of composite HEAs were investigated. The results reveal that the addition of TiC has no effect on the crystal structure, however, the microstructure and mechanical properties show a strong dependency on the TiC content. Compared to the original HEA, the composite HEA shows decreased grain size, resulting in TiC nanoparticles (NPs) retarding grain growth by pinning the grain boundaries. With increasing TiC content from 0 to 4 wt-%, significant increases in the hardness from 410 to 480 HV and compressive yield strength from 680 to 1100 MPa, which is mainly due to the grain boundary and dispersion strengthening effects. Moreover, the thermal expansion curves show linear increments up to 800°C and decrease with increasing TiC content.

Microstructure and mechanical performance of laser additive manufacturing Ni50Ti40Cu10 and Ni45Ti40Cu15 alloy

Ni-Ti-Cu alloy can not only prevent scale and biological adhesion, but also has applications in aerospace, automotive engineering, and nanotechnology. In this study, Ni50Ti40Cu10 and Ni45Ti40Cu15 alloy large-size thin-walled parts are prepared on the surface of Ti plates using laser additive manufacturing technology. The optimum operational parameters are explored through a two-factor controlled variable method, based on which the effects of TiC and TiB2 addition on the forming quality of Ni50Ti40Cu10 and Ni45Ti40Cu15 alloys are further investigated. SEM, EDS, and other testing methods are used to determine the microstructure composition and distribution, and the composition of the physical phases of the alloy. Finally, tensile and hardness tests are carried out to study the mechanical properties of the alloy. The results show that the better operational parameters for laser additive manufacturing of large-size thin-walled Ni50Ti40Cu10 and Ni45Ti40Cu15 alloys are 1250w laser power and 300 mm min−1 scanning speed. 0.6 wt% TiC addition can achieve better forming quality of the large-size thin-walled parts. The large-size thin-walled Ni50Ti40Cu10 alloy precipitates significantly more Ti2Ni strengthening phases than the large-size thin-walled Ni45Ti40Cu15 alloy. Ni50Ti40Cu10 alloy large-size thin-walled parts have 20% higher tensile strength and 45.4% higher elongation compared to Ni45Ti40Cu15 alloy. The average hardness of Ni45Ti40Cu15 large-size thin-walled parts is 3.4% lower than that of Ni50Ti40Cu10 alloy.

Strengthening the grain boundary of Mo alloy via little TiC addition

The little TiC was added into Mo alloys by facile ball milling and subsequent sintering. Interestingly, ultrafine Mo-TiC alloy (6.53 μm) possesses quasi-cleavage transgranular fracture morphology, which is differed from traditional intergranular fracture morphology of oxide-dispersion-strengthened molybdenum (ODS-Mo) alloy. The alloy interface with the lowest strength changes from Mo grain boundaries (GBs) to grain interior, hence the crack propagates along grain interior. For one thing, some C-deficient TiC (Ti8C5) can adsorb adjacent impurity oxygen at sintering stage to generate in-situ TiOx, thereby purifying Mo matrix. For another thing, coherent interfaces between TiC/TiOx particles and Mo further strengthen Mo matrix. Moreover, a lot of TiC/TiOx particles within Mo grains could efficaciously accumulate dislocations and indirectly improve GBs strength. Compared to ball-milled Mo or ODS-Mo alloy reported in literatures, the sintered Mo-TiC alloys in present work possess a high hardness (468 HV0.2), an excellent match of high strength (1287.3 MPa) and large ductility (18.1%).

Effects of TiC mass fraction on microstructure, corrosive–wear and electrochemical properties of laser cladded CoCrFeNiMo high–entropy alloy coatings

TiC reinforced CoCrFeNiMo high–entropy alloy coatings were fabricated on Ti6Al4V alloy by laser cladding, and the effects of TiC mass fraction on the microstructure, corrosive–wear and electrochemical properties were investigated. The results show that the laser cladded CoCrFeNiMo–TiC coatings consist of TiC, FeTi, Fe3Mo and Fe3C phases, and the hardness and forming quality were improved by the addition of TiC. The wear rates of CoCrFeNiMo–TiC coatings are decreased with the increase of TiC mass fraction, and the CoCrFeNiMo–20%TiC coating presents the highest corrosive–wear resistance. The corrosive–wear mechanism is primary abrasive wear, accompanied with adhesive wear, oxidative wear and pitting corrosion. Moreover, the CoCrFeNiMo–20%TiC coating has the best corrosion resistance, which is attributed to the addition of TiC.

Microstructures and oxidation behavior of PM Ni-based superalloy FGH97 with in-situ carbide precipitates

FGH 97 alloy (FG) and its composite with TiC addition (FT) were prepared by spark plasma sintering. The TiC particles were dissolved into the alloy matrix during ball milling, but precipitated out in-situ as MC solid solution with semi-coherent interface after sintering, leading to a homogeneous and fine microstructure. After exposure to 900 °C for 300 h, its grain size grew by only 31%. The fine microstructure promoted selective oxidation of Al and ensured high oxidation resistance of the composite FT. The precipitated carbides increased oxidation resistance of FT and endows its oxide scale with self-healing ability for long-term oxidation.

Structure and Wear Resistance of TiC-Reinforced Al1.8CrCuFeNi2 High-Entropy Alloy Coating Using Laser Cladding.

Al1.8CrCuFeNi2 high-entropy alloy coatings with different TiC contents were prepared using laser cladding. The effect of TiC on the microstructure, hardness and wear resistance of the coatings was investigated. It was found that the phase structure of the coating with 10 wt.% TiC was a single BCC phase with no other precipitated phase. When 20 wt.% TiC was added, the phase structure of the coating was a BCC phase and TiC phase. When the TiC content increased to 30 wt.%, more TiC-reinforcing phase was formed. With the increase in the TiC content, the hardness of the high-entropy alloy coating was enhanced and the wear loss clearly decreased, which was closely related to the change in the coating structure. The addition of TiC to high-entropy alloys plays the role of fine-grain strengthening and dispersion strengthening.

Cracking inhibition and strengthening of FeCrAlY alloy through addition of TiC nanoparticles during laser melting deposition

FeCrAlY alloy is one ideal candidate for nuclear fuel cladding. Laser melting deposition (LMD) provides a new method for its preparation. To solve the cracking problem as well as to strengthen the alloy, TiC nanoparticles were added during the LMD process. The results show that 4 wt% TiC addition can fully suppress crackings by prompting columnar to equiaxed grain transition. When TiC addition is 6 wt%, the alloy has the finest average grain size of 17 μm, which is nearly 13 times smaller than that without TiC addition. TiC addition also prompts the escape of gas in the molten pool, thus reduces the porosity of the alloys. Without TiC addition, the alloy contains Y-rich heterogeneous structured particles, including Y–O, Y–O–Al–Cr, and Y–O–Al–Cr–Fe particles. After adding TiC, other Y–O–Al–Cr, Y–Al, and C–O–Cr–Fe particles can also be observed. TiC particles mainly have flower-like/granule and plate-like shapes, which correspond to primary and eutectic particles, respectively. With 8 wt% TiC addition, the alloy has good mechanical properties with yield strength of 488 ± 25 MPa, ultimate tensile strength of 749 ± 47 MPa, and an elongation of 15 ± 2%, which are close to those prepared by traditional thermo-mechanically deformation processes.

Superior wear resistance of dual-phased TiC–TiB2 ceramic nanoparticles reinforced carbon steels

The present study investigated the microstructure and wear properties of annealed carbon steels with the addition of TiC–TiB2 ceramic nanoparticles. It was found that the presence of 0.02 wt% nanoparticles could decrease the amount of widmanstatten structure, promote the formation of finer pearlite from 33.0% to 46.3% and refine the grains from 67.0 μm to 47.5 μm. In ball-on-plate reciprocating sliding wear tests, the wear volume loss was reduced up to 27.2% while the test load of 50 N and sliding velocity of 60 mm/s were utilized. After examining the wear tracks, it was observed that the spalls, grooves, smearing, delamination, oxidative areas and wear debris were found within the worn areas. The ceramic nanoparticles increased the hardness of substrates, inhibited dislocations and plastic deformation, retarded the cracks on surfaces and sub-surfaces, and withstand the load which enhanced the anti-wear performance of annealed carbon steels. This research could provide a new method to improve the wear performance of carbon steel components.

Microstructure and wear resistance of laser cladding nano TiC/micro TiB2/C-276 composite coatings on 316L stainless steel

Four metal-ceramic composite coatings were prepared by laser cladding (LC) using Hastelloy C-276, nano-TiC and micro-TiB2 as raw materials to improve the surface properties and extend the service life of 316L stainless steel. The microstructure and mechanical properties were analyzed by metallographic microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), Vickers hardness experiments, and friction and wear testing. The TiC and TiB2 phases were detected in the coating, exhibiting homogenous distribution as their content increased. As a result, the strengthening effect of the coating was enhanced, improving microhardness relative to that of the 316L substrate. The wear test revealed that the Hastelloy coating exhibited poor wear resistance, but the addition of TiC and TiB2 particles improved the wear resistance by reducing the wear rate. The lowest average coefficient and wear rate were attained at 50% and 70% ceramic contents, respectively. However, abundant hard particles on the surface easily fell off during the wear, which further impeded the surface degradation and increased the friction coefficient.

The microstructure and mechanical properties of TiC-reinforced W-matrix composites prepared by spark plasma sintering

W-(1 wt%, 3 wt%, 10 wt%)TiC composites with low density and good mechanical properties were successfully fabricated by high-energy ball milling and spark plasma sintering. The morphologies and the microstructure evolution of the composites were investigated. The mechanical properties, including microhardness and compressive strength, were evaluated. The results indicate that the addition of TiC can effectively inhibit the growth of W grains and plays a role in strengthening dispersion. With increasing TiC content, the W grain size decreased from (W-1wt%TiC) 5.32 μm to (W-10wt%TiC) 0.36 μm, and the reinforcement phase gradually changed from a granular spherical morphology to a continuous network structure morphology. A variety of second phases, such as TiC, Ti, WC and W2C, appeared in the W-TiC composites, and most of these were uniformly distributed on the W grain boundaries. Analysis indicated that TiW formed a coherent interface, and TiC-W and W2C-W formed incoherent interfaces. The grain refinement and the formation of incoherent interfaces can effectively improve the microhardness and compression strength of the composite. The Vickers microhardness and ultimate compressive strength of the W-10%TiC composite reached 962.43 HV and 2511 MPa, respectively. Meanwhile, the density of the composite was only 14.42 g/cm3.

Influence of TiC Addition on Corrosion and Tribocorrosion Resistance of Cr2Ti-NiAl Electrospark Coatings

Marine and coastal infrastructures usually suffer from synergetic effect of corrosion and wear known as tribocorrosion, which imposes strict requirements on the structural materials used. To overcome this problem, novel composite wear- and corrosion-resistant xTiC-Fe-CrTiNiAl coatings with different TiC content were successfully developed. The coatings were obtained by the original technology of electrospark deposition in a vacuum using xTiC-Cr2Ti-NiAl (x = 0, 25, 50, 75%) electrodes. The structure and morphology of the coatings were studied in detail by XRD, SEM, and TEM. The effect of TiC content on the tribocorrosion behavior of the coatings was estimated using tribological and electrochemical (under stationary and wear conditions) experiments, as well as impact testing, in artificial seawater. The TiC-free Fe-Cr2Ti-NiAl coating revealed a defective inhomogeneous structure with transverse and longitudinal cracks. Introduction of TiC allowed us to obtain coatings with a dense structure without visible defects and with uniformly distributed carbide grains. The TiC-containing coatings were characterized by a hardness and elastic modulus of up to 10.3 and 158 GPa, respectively. Formation of a composite structure with a heavily alloyed corrosion-resistant matrix based on α-(Fe,Cr) solid solution and uniformly distributed TiC grains led to a significant increase in resistance to stationary corrosion and tribocorrosion in artificial seawater. The best 75TiC-Fe-CrTiNiAl coating demonstrated the lowest corrosion current density values both under stationary (0.03 μA/cm2) and friction conditions (0.8 μA/cm2), and was characterized by both a 2-2.5 times lower wear rate (4 × 10−6 mm3/Nm) compared to AISI 420S steel and 25TiC-Fe-CrTiNiAl and a high fracture toughness.

The Structure and Properties of Laser-Cladded Inconel 625/TiC Composite Coatings.

This article presents production results concerning metal matrix composite-coatings made using the laser-cladding technology. The enhancement of the wear resistance of the material surface is the one of the main goals accompanying the manufacturing of composite coatings. Nickel-based superalloys are used in several industries because they are characterized by a number of desirable properties including high tensile and fatigue strength as well as resistance to high-temperature corrosion in aggressive environments. One of the most interesting materials from the group of superalloys is Inconel 625, used as a matrix material in tests discussed in this article. However, nickel-based superalloys are also characterized by an insufficient wear resistance of the surface, therefore, in relation to the tests discussed in this article, Inconel 625-based composite coatings were reinforced by adding 10%, 20% and 40% of titanium carbide particles. The addition of hard phases, i.e., TiC, WC or SiC particles can have a positive effect on the erosion resistance of cladded specimens. The aim of the experiment was to determine the impact of the titanium carbide content on the structure of the alloy and its resistance to corrosive wear, enabling the extension of the service life of Inconel 625/TiC composite coatings. The investigation included microhardness tests, corrosion resistance analysis, penetrant tests, macrostructure and microstructure analyses and X-ray diffraction (XRD) tests. The TiC particles increased the hardness of the coatings and, in general, had a negative impact on the corrosion resistance of pure Inconel 625 coatings. However, the increased homogeneity of composite coatings translated into the improvement of corrosion resistance.

Effect of TiC additions on the microstructure, mechanical and tribological properties of NbC-CoCrFeNiMn high entropy alloys cermets

NbC-xTiC-15CoCrFeNiMn (x = 0, 5, 10, 15) cermets were prepared by powder metallurgy, and the effects of the addition of second-phase carbide TiC on microstructure, mechanical properties and wear resistance of the cermets were systematically investigated. The results showed that the grain growth phenomenon occurred more obviously in the cermets without TiC addition, while the addition of TiC led to effective suppression of grain growth. Meanwhile, TiC additions resulted in significant increases in hardness under fine grain strengthening effect and solid solution strengthening effect. The NbC-10TiC-15CoCrFeNiMn cermet exhibited the highest transverse strength. With adding 15 vol% TiC, the cermets exhibited the highest relative density of 98.0% and the highest hardness of 1471.5 kg/mm2. Furthermore, the addition of TiC improved wear resistance of the cermets. The adhesive wear was gradually reduced with increasing TiC contents, and NbC-15TiC-15CoCrFeNiMn cermets exhibited the smallest wear depth.