Abstract
Solid-solution nanocrystalline powder, (Ti,Al,V)C, was prepared by the high-energy milling of Ti–Al–V alloys with graphite. The (Ti,Al,V)C was formed during the milling process of Ti–Al–V alloys + graphite and the synthetic procedures were investigated in terms of the phase evolution from XRD data. The rapid sintering of nanostructured (Ti,Al,V)C hard materials in a short time was investigated with pulsed current activated heating sintering process. The advantage of this process is that it allows very quick densification to near theoretical density and inhibits grain growth in nanostructured materials. A dense nanostructured (Ti,Al,V)C hard material with a relative density of up to 96% was produced with simultaneous application of 80 MPa pressure and a pulsed current of 2000 A within 2 min. Microstructure and mechanical properties of binderless (Ti,Al,V)C were investigated.
