Preparation of TiC/Ti₃SiC₂ Composite by Sintering Mechanical Alloyed Ti-Si-C Powder Mixtures.

The present work aims to evaluate the crystalline phases and microstructure of a TiC-Ti₃SiC₂ ceramic composite, obtained by mechanical alloying of Ti, C and Si powders and subsequent sintering. A mechanical alloying technique in a planetary ball mill for 1, 10, 50, 100 and 200 h using Ti, Si and C powders with molar ratios of 3:1:2 as feedstock in argon (Ar) gas was employed to prepare nano-sized Ti-Si-C powders. TiC crystallite size and lattice strain were evaluated by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and the morphological characteristics and particle size distribution were examined using scanning electron microscope (SEM).