Fabrication and Mechanical Properties of Textured Ti₃SiC₂ by Slip Casting in a Strong Magnetic Field Followed by Spark Plasma Sintering

抄録

Ti₃SiC₂ with a nacre-like microstructure was fabricated by slip casting in a strong magnetic field followed by spark plasma sintering (SPS). To determine the effect of the grain size and texture on the mechanical properties, two textured and non-textured Ti₃SiC₂ ceramics with different grain sizes were prepared with the different initial particle size and SPS sintering temperature. A powder with relatively large plate-like Ti₃SiC₂ particles was fabricated by the templated-grain growth method. Increasing the grain size increased the fracture toughness of the textured Ti₃SiC₂ ceramics but decreased the three-point bending strength. The three-point bending strength and fracture toughness of the textured Ti₃SiC₂ with the large grain size were 812 MPa and 7.3 MPa・m^1/2, and those with the small grain size were 1045 MPa and 5.6 MPa・m^1/2, respectively. Furthermore, catastrophic failure of the textured Ti₃SiC₂ ceramics after the fracture toughness test was prevented, similarly to in fiber-reinforced ceramics.