Mechanical and Chemical Characterization of a TiC/C System Synthesized Using a Focus Plasma Arc

• Main Authors: Mahmoodian, Reza, Hamdi, M., Hassan, M. A., Akbari, Abolghasem
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Public Library of Science 2015
• Subjects: TH Building construction; TJ Mechanical engineering and machinery
• Online Access: http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/11741/1/journal.pone.0130836.pdf; http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/11741/; http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0130836

Titanium carbide-graphite (TiC/C) composite was successfully synthesized from Ti and C starting elemental powders using self-propagating high-temperature synthesis technique in an ultra-high plasma inter medium in a single stage. The TiC was exposed to a high-temperature inert medium to allow recrystallization. The product was then characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) coupled with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Rietveld refinement, nanoindentation, and micro-hardness to determine the product’s properties. The recorded micro-hardness of the product was 3660 HV, which is a 14% enhancement and makes is comparable to TiC materials.