FABRICATION OF TIN/FE-AL CERMET FROM MIXTURE OF TIN, FE AND AL POWDERS

TiN shows high hardness, good thermal stability and conductivity. Hence, fabrication of TiN cermet considering an application for cutting tools is desired. Fe-Al intermetallic compounds are one of a candidate for binder of the cermet, because it shows good mechanical property and it is composed of common (low cost) elements. Therefore, in this study, fabrication of TiN / Fe-Al cermets were examined. TiN, Fe and Al powders were mechanically milled using a planetary ball mill under Ar atmosphere. The nominal composition of powder mixture was TiN-10 mass% FeAl. The milled powder was consolidated by pulsed current sintering. The sintered compact was composed of TiN and FeAl intermetallic compound. The intermetallic compound would be formed by the reaction of molten Al and solid Fe during the sintering process. The milling conditions affected the three point bending strength, which showed 0.96 GPa using the appropriate milling conditions.