Formation of TiN/TiC-Fe composites from ilmenite (FeTiO3) concentrate

The production of a ceramic hard material-metal composite directly from a mineral concentrate has great potential application. An homogenizing pretreatment of a mixture of ilmenite (FeTiO3) and graphite, followed by annealing under an argon ambient, showed the formation of titanium carbide and elemental iron. Annealing of the same powder in nitrogen resulted in the formation of a composite of elemental iron and titanium nitride. The nitride was formed at a lower temperature than the carbide with almost complete conversion after 1 hour at 1000 degrees C. The rate of carbide formation was controlled by carbon diffusion, whereas the nitridation reaction was controlled by either oxygen or nitrogen diffusion. The TiC was found to form via TiC0.5, which slowly increased its carbon content until near stoichiometric TiC was formed; stoichiometric TiN formed directly with no intermediate phases. Titanium carbide showed the presence of a second phase with a slightly smaller unit cell size; this was due to interdiffusion between the iron and TiC. The titanium carbide composite was found to be composed of 3 to 4 mu m anhedral iron grains dispersed in the titanium-rich matrix. There was no segregation in the iron/titanium nitride composite with apparently submicron distribution.