SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF Ti3SiC2 BASED COMPOSITE

The MAX phases are very important materials combine the merits of ceramic and metal including high electrical and thermal conductivities, machinability, damage tolerance, excellent thermal shock resistance, promising for wide range of applications. There are more than ten MAX phase systems and more than fifty MAX phases. This work is focused to produce Ti3SiC2-Al2O3 composite using SiC, TiO2, Al powder with graphite. On the DTA curve of the mixture showed two exothermic peaks at temperature 970 and 1250 degrees C which were related with the reduction of the oxide content by Al and the formation of TiC phases. Al2O3, TiC and Ti3SiC2 phases were detected in the sintered samples at temperature above 1400 degrees C. At higher temperature and longer reaction time, SiC decomposes depending on the oxygen availability of the mixtures. The aluminium to titanium dioxide ratio should be in stoichiometric but carbon content of the starting composition requires more than two times, in Al excess, mullite phase was detected in the processed samples.