Abstract
Full dense TiB2 sintered body containing ZrO2 between 0wt % and 40wt % was fabricated by glass encapsulation HIP method. Three point bending strength of TiB2 increased drastically by adding 10wt % ZrO2, compared to that of monolithic TiB2. Three point bending strength and Vickers hardness of TiB2-10wt %ZrO2 sintered body were 1.17GPa and 23.4GPa, respectively. Such an amount of ZrO2 was effective to fabricate high strength and high hardness of TiB2 sintered body.
However, three point bending strength decreased with increasing ZrO2 content. On the other hand, fracture toughness increased linearly with increasing ZrO2 content. TiB2-30wt%ZrO2 sintered body exhibited a high fracture toughness of 8.2MPam1/2. The amount of monoclinic ZrO2 increased with increasing ZrO2 content. This increase resulted in the decrease in strength, while the fracture toughness increased.
