| Fabrication and characterization of HfCZrCTiC composites: role of carbonaceous and metallic additives |
| Shahroukh Malae Hezarvandi1, Zohre Balak1, Ali Heydari Moghadam2 |
1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Ahvaz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran
2Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Dezful Branch, Islamic Azad University, Dezful, Iran |
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Received: June 26, 2024; Revised: August 14, 2024 Accepted: September 12, 2024. Published online: September 27, 2024. |
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| ABSTRACT |
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The purpose of this research is to investigate the effects of silicon and nano-carbon black (C.Bn), both individually and in combination, on the microstructure and mechanical properties of a three-component HfC–ZrC–TiC composite, which has not been studied until now. Four composites were fabricated with the chemical compositions of HfC–ZrC–TiC, HfC–ZrC–TiC/3 wt% Si, HfC–ZrC–TiC/15 vol% C.Bn, and HfC–ZrC–TiC/3 wt% Si/15 vol% C.Bn using the spark plasma sintering (SPS) method at a temperature of 2000 °C for 25 min under a pressure of 35 MPa. The relative density of the samples was measured using the Archimedes method. Microstructural studies and phase identification were conducted using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), respectively. The results indicated that the addition of silicon and C.Bn, both alone and in combination, enhances densification, achieving a relative density increase from 99.7% in the additive-free sample to full density. XRD analysis revealed that in all samples, Hf, Zr, and Ti elements interdiffuse to form a solid solution. In the sample containing silicon, silicide phases (TiSi2 and HfSi2) were formed. Additionally, in the samples containing C.Bn and silicon, the SiC phase was synthesized in situ at the nanoscale. The highest and lowest hardness values were recorded at 32.1 GPa for the HfZrTi/Si/C.Bn sample and 21.6 GPa for the HfZrTi/Si sample, respectively. The fracture toughness values were 6.5 MPa m0.5, 6.1 MPa m0.5, 5.8 MPa m0.5, and 4.1 MPa m0.5 for the HfZrTi/3 wt% Si/15 vol% C.Bn, HfZrTi/3 wt% Si, HfZrTi/15 vol% C.Bn, and HfZrTi samples, respectively. |
| Key words:
Ceramic composite · Mechanical property · Spark plasma sintering (SPS) · Sinterability · Microstructure |
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