Rapid synthesis of TiC/Ti₃SiC₂ composites by laser melting

TiC/Ti₃SiC₂ composites were successfully synthesized by laser melting (LM) technique using Ti-Si-TiC with a molar ratio of 1:1.2:2 as starting powders in the holding time range of 15-60 s. Phase content and microstructure of the synthesized samples were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS). The synthesis was extremely fast because the migration of solute mainly depended on the convection mixing of molten pool caused by intense laser beam which was far faster than the solid state diffusion by traditional methods. The apparent density and hardness of the composites are higher than Ti₃SiC₂ because of the existence of TiC phase.