Competitive precipitation behavior of hybrid reinforcements in copper matrix composites fabricated by powder metallurgy

Copper matrix composites reinforced by in situ-formed hybrid titanium boride whiskers (TiBw) and titanium diboride particles (TiB2p) were fabricated by powder metallurgy. Microstructural observations showed competitive precipitation behavior between TiBw and TiB2p, where the relative contents of the two reinforcements varied with sintering temperature. Based on thermodynamic and kinetic assessments, the precipitation mechanisms of the hybrid reinforcements were discussed, and the formation of both TiBw and TiB2p from the local melting zone was thermodynamically favored. The precipitation kinetics were mainly controlled by a solid-state diffusion of B atoms. By forming a compact compound layer, in situ reactions were divided into two stages, where Zener growth and Dybkov growth prevailed, respectively. Accordingly, the competitive precipitation behavior was attributed to the transition of the growth model during the reaction process.