In-situ hot pressing/solid-liquid reaction synthesis of dense titanium silicon carbide bulk ceramics

An in-sitii hot pressing/solid-liquid reaction process was developed for the synthesis of dense polycrystalline Ti₃SiC₂ ceramics using Ti, Si, and graphite powders as starting materials. The present work demonstrated that this process was one of the most effective and simple methods for the preparation of dense bulk Ti₃SiC₂ materials. Lattice constants of a=3.068 and c= 17.645 are calculated for Ti₃SiC₂ made through this process. The synthesis temperature influenced the phase composition, microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti₃SiC₂ prepared at different temperatures. And bulk materials with flexural strength of 480 MPa and fracture toughness of 7.88 MPa.m^1/2 were obtained at 1600°C. The high fracture toughness and strength are discussed based on microstructure analysis.