SPS of ”Titanium Carbide/Carbohydride – Copper” Composites

The TiC-copper and Ti2CH0.6-TiC-intermetallic Cu-Ti composites were produced using high-energy wet ball milling of Ti-Cu-graphite and Ti-Cu-surfactant powders, respectively, followed by spark plasma sintering at 900∘С. The composites were shown to be of 91-92% in density as compared with the theoretical value, microhardness of 6-7 GPa, and elasticity modulus of 134-140 GPa. The tribological properties of the composites were shown to depend on the phase composition. Surfactant addition resulted in higher fretting resistance against tempered steel (С-1%, Сr-1.5%) due to the formation of hexagonal titanium carbohydride and higher abrasive wear resistance.     Keywords: titanium carbide; titanium carbohydride, composite; ball milling; spark plasma sinterin