Development of Ti-TiC Composites by Powder Metallurgy Route Using Recycled Machined Ti Chips

Abstract

In the present work, Ti-TiC composites have been developed by powder metallurgy technique using recycle titanium chips. In order to prepare the required Ti powder for the composites, Ti chips are subjected to ball milled. Then to produce the titanium carbide powder graphite powder was mixed with the produced Ti powder and further ball milled. The prepared Ti and C powder are mixed in different weight percentage (48:12, 100:6) and compacted at different pressure (400-700 MPa) by using a powder compaction press and then sintered at different temperatures. The various phases present in the powder after the ball milling for different time period and for the sintered pellets are evaluated using X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique. The structure and distribution of the powder mixture after ball milling at different stages as well as the sintered pellets produced at different conditions are evaluated from Scanning Electron Microscopic (SEM) images. Further the density of the sintered pellets was analyzed by Archimedes principle. In addition, the mechanical characteristics of the sintered pellets are evaluated by measuring its micro-hardness and wear rate. The experimental results revealed that Ti-TiC composite can be prepared by ball milling of Ti chips followed by powder compaction and sintering process.