Effects of sintering process on the properties of Ti 3SiC 2/Cu composite

In this paper, a new type of Ti3SiC2/Cu composites with the volume fractions of 30% Ti3SiC2 particle was prepared by hot pressing and vacuum sintering respectively. The effects of sintering temperature and holding time on the density, resistivity and Vickers hardness of Cu-30vol%Ti3SiC2 composite were investigated. The results show that the mechanical properties of the composites prepared by hot pressing are better than that prepared by vacuum sintering. The relative densities of Cu-30vol%Ti3SiC2 composites are rather high in suitable sintering conditions. It achieved 100% for the composites prepared by hot pressing at 930 degrees C for 2h, and 98.4% for the composites prepared by vacuum sintering at 1250 degrees C for I h. At the same time, the maximum Vickers hardness reached 1735MPa at 900 degrees C by hot pressing. The resistance and Vickers hardness of the composites decreased with an increase in sintering temperature, whereas the density increased. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were used to observe the microstructure of the composites. The relationship between microstructure and mechanical properties was discussed.