Abstract
A composite of TiB2-Al2O3 system was successfully prepared from a mixture of TiO2, B2O3, and Al by self-propagating high temperature synthesis (SHS) with a novel characteristic, utilizing the internal oxidation heat of aluminium metal of the mixture, instead of by a conventional technique, externally heating a mixture of Ti, B and Al2O3. From a mixture with B/Ti molar ratio of =2.0, pure two phases of TiB2 and $\alpha$-Al2O3 with good crystallinity and small, uniform sizes were formed. However, when the B/Ti molar ratio of the mixture goes to a value less than 2.0, in addition to the above main minerals, a small smounts of metastable phases such as TiB and Ti3B4 were formed. It was found that about 60%, the optimum green density of compacts gave their highest reaction rate and temperature during SHS process. TiB2-Al2O3 system composite with B/Ti molar ratio of =2.0 could be pressurelessly sintered even at 190$0^{\circ}C$ under Ar gas flows without any addition of sintering aids, showing their good properties such as 91.2% in relative density, 2750 kgf/$\textrm{mm}^2$ in Vickers hardness and 2620 kgf/$\textrm{cm}^2$ in flexural strength.