High-temperature mechanical properties of aluminium alloys reinforced with titanium diboride (TiB_2) particles

The physical and mechanical properties of metal matrix composites were improved by the addition of reinforcements. The mechanical properties of particulate-reinforced metal-matrix composites based on aluminium alloys （6061 and 7015） at high temperatures were studied. Titanium diboride （TiB2） particles were used as the reinforcement. All the composites were produced by hot extrusion. The tensile properties and fracture characteristics of these materials were investigated at room temperature and at high temperatures to determine their ultimate strength and strain to failure. The fracture surface was analysed by scanning electron microscopy. TiB2 particles provide high stability of the alumin- ium alloys （6061 and 7015） in the fabrication process. An improvement in the mechanical behaviour was achieved by adding TiB2 particles as reinforcement in both the aluminium alloys. Adding TiB2 particles reduces the ductility of the aluminium alloys but does not change the microscopic mode of failure, and the fracture surface exhibits a ductile appearance with dimples formed by coalescence.

Electronic Structure and Chemical Bond of Titanium Diboride

Titanium diboride was calculated by the density function and discrete variational (DFT-DVM) method to study the relation between structure and properties.Titanium and its first-nearest boron atoms form a strong covalent bond,so TiB 2 has high melting point,hardness and chemical stability.Titanium atom releases two electrons to form Ti 2+ ions,and a boron atom gets one electron to come into B- ion.B- takes the sp2 hybrid and forms σ bonds to link other boron atoms in the same layer.The other one 2p z orbital of every B- ion in the same layer interacts each other to form the π molecular orbital,so TiB 2 has fine electrical property.The calculated density of state is close to the result of XPS experiment of TiB 2.Mainly Ti3d and B2p atomic orbitals contribute the total DOS near the Fermi level.

TiB_2/Ni coatings on surface of copper alloy electrode prepared by electrospark deposition

In order to improve the lifespan of spot-welding electrodes used for welding zinc coated steel sheets, titanium diboride was deposited onto their surface after precoating nickel as an intermediate layer. The microstructures and phase compositions of TiB2 and Ni coatings were characterized by SEM and XRD. The coating hardness was measured using a microhardness tester. The results indicate that a satisfactory TiB2 coating is obtained as a result of the intermediate nickel layer acting as a good binder between the TiB2 coating and the copper alloy substrate. Owing to its capacity of deforming, the precoated nickel layer is dense and crack free, while cracks and pores are observed in the TiB2 coating. The hardness of the TiB2/Ni coating decreases with the increase of voltage and capacitance because of the diffusion of copper and nickel and the oxidation of the coating materials. Because of the good thermal and electrical conductivities and high hardness properties of TiB2, the deformation of the electrode with TiB2/Ni coating is reduced and its spot-welding life is by far prolonged than that of the uncoated one.

First principle study on the elastic and thermodynamic properties of TiB_2 crystal under high temperature

This paper predicts the elastic and thermodynamic characteristics of TiB2 crystal through the method of density functional theory within the generalized gradient approximation （GGA）. The five independent elastic constants （Cij）, the bulk modulus （B0）, the dependence of bulk modulus （B0） on temperature T and pressure P and the coefficient of thermal expansion （αL） at various temperatures have been evaluated and discussed. According to calculation, the bulk modulus will increase with increasing pressure while decrease with the increasing temperature. The coefficient of thermal expansion is consistent with the famous Griineisen＇s law when the temperature is not too high. The obtained results agree well with the experimental and other theoretical results.

Influence of B source materials on the synthesis of TiB_2-Al_2O_3 nanocomposite powders by mechanical alloying

An Al2O3-TiB2 nanocomposite was successfully synthesized by ball milling of Al, TiO2 and two B source materials of B2O3 （system （1）） and H3BO3 （system （2））. Phase identification of the milled samples was examined by Xray diffraction. The morphology and microstructure of the milled powders were monitored by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. It was found that the formation of this composite was completed after 15 and 30 h of milling time in systems （1） and （2）, respectively. More milling energy was required for the formation of this composite in system （2） due to the lubricant properties of HaBO3 and also its decomposition to HBO2 and B2O3 during milling. On the basis of X-ray diffraction patterns and thermodynamic calculations, this composite was formed by highly exothermic mechanically induced self-sustaining reactions （MSR） in both systems. The MSR mode took place around 9 h and 25 h of milling in systems （1） and （2）, respectively. At the end of milling （15 h for system （1） and 30 h for system （2）） the grain size of about 35-50 nm was obtained in both systems.

Preparation of wettable TiB2-TiB/Ti cathode by electrolytic boronizing for aluminum electrolytic

According to the problems of short life and low strength of TiB2 coating cathode for current technology in aluminium electrolysis industry,this work synthesized TiB2-TiB/Ti gradient composite with TiB2 coating and TiB whiskers in metallic Ti matrix by a electrolytic boronizing method based on similar density and thermal expansivity of the three materials.The phase composition and morphology of the cross-section were determined by X-ray diffraction(XRD),scanning electronic microscope(SEM)and X-ray energy dispersive spectrum(EDS).The results show that uniform TiB2 layer with a thickness of 8-10μm is continuously coated on the surface while the TiB whisker connected with TiB2 layer was embedded dispersedly into the matrix.The TiB crystal whisker has a maximum length of about 220μm.The growth rate of TiB2 and TiB is enhanced by the strong reduction of B4C.The novel gradient design of the composite helps to extend life and improve strength of the TiB2 cathode in aluminium electrolysis.

Preparation of TiB_2 coatings by electroplating in molten salt

Titanium diboride （TIB2） coatings were prepared by electroplating in fluoride-chloride electrolytes （KF-KC1） containing K2T1F6 and KBF4 as the electrochemically-active components. An attempt was made to correlate the thermodynamic prediction and experimental observations. Thick, adherent, and uniform TtB2 coatings were obtained and the coating microhardness reaches the value of 33 GPa. The effects of the current density on the mechanical properties, structures, and morphologies of the coatings were studied. XRD analysis indicates that the preferred orientation of the coatings is （001）, which is in accordance with the prediction of the two-dimensional crystal nuclei theory. Thermodynamic prediction and experimental results show that some phases such as TixCy and BaCb are absent at the interface, which indicates the substrate and coatings bind mechanically or physically. Some cracks exist at the interface, which is attributed to the difference between the coefficients of thermal expansion of TiB2 and graphite.

Wettability and interfacial behaviour of NdF_3-LiF-Nd_2O_3 on TiB_2-based ceramics

Wettability of TiB2-based ceramics by NdF3-LiF-Nd2O3 melt was studied using sessile drop technique in this paper. Wetting experiment was carried out under inert atmosphere at 1050 ℃. Chemical reactions which occurred on the solid-liquid interface and solid-gas interface during wetting process were discussed by thermodynamic calculations combined with X-ray diffraction （XRD） patterns. Micromorphology and element distribution of fracture surface at the interfacial region of solid/liquid system were analyzed by scanning electron microscope （SEM） equipped with energy dispersive spectrometry （EDS）. Contact angles of the drop were determined as a function of time in order to describe the wetting process, and wetting phenomenon was interpreted from a viewpoint of interface structure. The results showed that wetting was a dynamic wetting process with characteristics of reactive wetting. Penetration and oxidization phenomena during the experiment had great effect on wetting process.

Preparation of highly preferred orientation TiB_2 coatings

This paper focuses on the preparation of titanium diboride （TiB2） coatings on the graphite substrate by continuous current plating （CCP） and pulse current plating （PIC） electrochemical techniques in fluoride electrolytes （LiF-NaF-KF） containing K2T1F6 and KBF4 as the electrochemically-active components at 700℃. Thick leveled and uniform coatings were obtained and were composed of relatively pure TiB2. The effect of the experimental parameters on the microstructure of the coatings was studied. The results showed the electrodeposition with PIC produced coatings with better quality, when compared with those obtained by CCP, under the conditions of the current density i = 0.6 A/cm^2, frequency = 100 Hz, and todtofr = 4/1. XRD analysis indicated that the preferred orientation of coatings is （110） plane, which is in accordance with the prediction of the two-dimensional crystal nuclei theory. The effect of a ratio of ton/toff and frequency on the crystal size, textule coefficient and microstress was also investigated.

Effect of TiB_2 Particles on the Tribological Properties of Stainless Steel Matrix Composites

The AISI316L stainless steel composites reinforced with 2, 4, 6, and 8 vol% titanium diboride （TiB2） particles were sintered by the high pressure-high temperature method. Ball-on-disk method was carried out to study wear behavior of the composites. Tests were carried out at room temperature. The TiB2 particles improved the hardness and tribological properties of the composites. The friction coefficient of the composites decreased with the increasing content of TiB2. The reduction of the wear rate with the increasing of the content of TiB2 particles in the steel matrix was also observed. It is demonstrated that the friction coefficient of composites with the same content of TiB2 particles depend on the sintering conditions.

Microstructure and Properties of Fe-Cr-C Hardfacing Alloys Reinforced with TiC-NbC

The hypereutectic Fe-Cr-C hardfacing alloys with different contents of TiB_2 and Nb were prepared by selfshielded flux cored arc welding.The microstructure of a series of hypereutectic Fe-Cr-C hardfacing alloys added with various TiB_2 and Nb contents was investigated by using optical microscopy（OM）,scanning electron microscopy（SEM）and X-ray diffraction（XRD）.In addition,their Rockwell hardness,microhardness and resistance to abrasive wear were tested.The results showed that the microstructure of a series of hypereutectic Fe-Cr-C hardfacing alloys consisted mainly of martensite,austenite,primary M7C3 carbides and eutectic M7C3 carbides.With the addition of TiB_2,a new hard-phase TiC was produced in the hardfacing alloys.And in the alloys added with TiB_2 and Nb,a new hard composite phase TiC-NbC was formed.The microhardness of the matrix was improved by adding TiB_2 and Nb,but the effect on the Rockwell hardness of Fe-Cr-C hardfacing alloys was insignificant.The addition of TiB_2 and Nb can also decrease the size of the primary M7C3 carbides and make the primary M7C3 homogeneous.As a result,the reinforced matrix,the more homogeneous primary M7C3 carbides,and the new hard-phase TiC-NbC all improved the wear resistance of Fe-Cr-C hardfacing alloys.