Production and characterization of SiC-B4C-TiB2 composite

Due to superior mechanical properties, Silicon Carbide can be used in aerospace, military defence, automative and abrasive applications. SiC with addition of hightoughness B4C and high-fracture toughness TiB2 is produced to be used as balistic armor material. This study investigates how different sintering parameters change the mechanical properties of SiC-B4C-TiB2 composite. Also, how using TiC and TiB2 powders as starting material changes the mechanical properties of final product is observed. The powders which grinded together are sintered with different sintering temperature, sintering pressure and sintering time and characterized after sintering. The density and relative density of samples are obtained with Archimedes principle, and the Vickers microtoughness and fracture toughness of samples are obtained with indentation methods. The phases formed after sintering are investigated via X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The results showed that the best mechanical properties obtained with high sintering temperatures and high sintering pressures. Using TiB2 as starting material gives better results than using TiC as starting material.