THE INFLUENCE OF SYNTHESIS TEMPERATURE ON THE PHASE COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE OF TERNARY COMPOUNDS PRODUCED FROM TiH2-Si-C POWDER MIXTURES

The paper examines the formation of phases and structure in ternary compounds produced by thermal synthesis from the TiH2-Si-C powder mixture. The alloys were thermally synthesized in vacuum at 1150, 1300, and 1400 degrees C. According to X-ray diffraction and structural analysis, titanium carbide is the major phase in the alloy synthesized at 1150 degrees C. The alloy also contains a Ti5Si3 silicide phase and an insignificant amount of free carbon. When synthesis temperature increases to 1300 degrees C, the titanium carbide content decreases and a Ti5Si4 silicide phase and ternary Ti3SiC2 compound show up in the alloy. When synthesis temperature increases further to 1400 degrees C, the alloy mainly consists of laminar ternary Ti3SiC2 grains and an insignificant amount of titanium carbide and Ti5Si4 intermetallide. An increase in the synthesis temperature from 1150 to 1400 degrees C leads to a significant growth of grains representing the main alloy components.