Sintering and Mechanical Properties of (SiC + TiCx)p/Fe Composites Synthesized from Ti3AlC2, SiC, and Fe Powders

Ceramic-particle-reinforced iron matrix composites (CPR-IMCs) have been used in many fields due to their excellent performance. In this study, using the fast resistance-sintering technology developed by our team, iron matrix composites (IMCs) reinforced by both SiC and TiCx particles were fabricated via the addition of SiC and Ti3AlC2 particles, and the resulting relative densities of the sintering products were up to 98%. The XRD and EDS analyses confirmed the in situ formation of the TiCx from the decomposition of Ti3AlC2 during sintering. A significant hybrid reinforcing effect was discovered in the (SiC + TiCx)(p)/Fe composites, where the experimental strength and hardness of the (SiC + TiCx)(p)/Fe composites were higher than the composites of monolithic SiCp/Fe and (TiCx)(p)/Fe. While, under the condition of constant particle content, the elongation of the samples reinforced using TiCx was the best, those reinforced by SiC was the lowest, and those reinforced by (SiC + TiCx) fell in between, which means the plastic response of (SiC + TiCx)(p)/Fe composites obeyed the rule of mixture. The successful preparation of IMCs based on the hybrid reinforcement mechanism provides an idea for the optimization of IMCs.