Formation of TiB Particles during Reaction Sintering in a TiB/Ti Composite

Abstract

Chemical reaction process(Ti+CrB→Cr+TiB) of isolated CrB particle in a Ti powder compact was investigated to find a proper sintering condition for producing TiB/Ti composites by reaction sintering. EPMA analysis revealed that the formation of TiB starts at 1223 K during heated with the rate of 0.17 K/s. The reaction proceeds topochemically with the movement of a reaction band from the particle surface to inside. The unreacted-core model was applied to the reaction of a CrB particle for the analyse the reaction rate of CrB particle. It was found that diffusion of Ti and Cr atoms in a TiB layer controls the whole reaction rate, and then the time of reaction finish at 1223 K was estimated as a function of initial CrB particle radius.