Microstructural evaluation and wear behavior of B4C particle reinforced TiO2-SiO2-ZnO compound by hot-pressing method

In this study, different wt% of B4C material added to TiO2, ZnO, and SiO2 materials known with distinguished properties by hot-pressing method to produce new materials. Characterization of the materials was performed by using XRD, SEM and EDS. The micro-hardness of the materials was measured and the wear characteristics of B4C-added materials were determined by subjecting them to wear loads of 5 N, 10 N and 15 N. In XRD, it was observed that the intensity of the peak was decreased depending on the increase in B4C content. In SEM, it was determined that there was a two-phase structure with complex boundaries and indefinite grain boundary formation. Besides, it was determined that elements in the EDS and the compounds in the XRD supported each other. In wear analyses, it was seen that as the wear load increased, the depth and width of the wear track in all materials increased. Furthermore, as the weight ratio of B4C material in the composition was increased, the weight loss at different wear loads was decreased and the lowest weight loss was found in Ti45Si15Zn20B20 material. Moreover, it was observed that the wear track and its depth were inversely proportional to the increasing B4C content in the compound. Friction coefficients of the materials under 5 N wear load varied between 0.15-0.43, whereas under 10 N and 15 N wear load, it varied between 0.09-0.28 and 0.06-0.29, respectively. While the hardness value of B4C-free Ti60Si20Zn20 was 260 HV, the highest hardness value was seen in Ti45Si15Zn20B20 material as 1010 HV.