Study of aspects of phase transformations during reaction sintering of titanium diboride and carbide

Experimental results demonstrate that reactive sintering of fine ceramic powders in the nonequilibrium TiB2‒SiC‒C‒Si system yields a stable functional SiC‒TiB2 matrix. The synthesized material exhibits the following mechanical properties: flexural strength (σ) = 415 MPa, Young’s modulus (E) = 310 GPa, Vickers hardness (HV) = 21 GPa. Conversely, reactive sintering in the TiC‒SiC‒C‒Si system produces an unstable SiC‒TiC matrix with embrittling secondary phases ― titanium silicides. Mechanical testing reveals degraded performance: flexural strength (σ) = 130 MPa, Young’s modulus (E) = 300 GPa, Vickers hardness (HV) = 21 GPa.