Sinterability, Mechanical Properties and Wear Behavior of Ti3SiC2 and Cr2AlC MAX Phases

MAX phases are a promising family of materials for several demanding, high-temperature applications and severe conditions. Their combination of metallic and ceramic properties makes MAX phases great candidates to be applied in energy production processes, such as high temperature heat exchangers for catalytic devices. For their successful application, however, the effect of the processing method on properties such as wear and mechanical behavior needs to be further established. In this work, the mechanical and wear properties of self-synthesized Ti3SiC2 and Cr2AlC MAX phase powders consolidated by different powder metallurgy routes are evaluated. Uniaxial pressing and sintering, cold isostatic pressing and sintering and hot pressing were explored as processing routes, and samples were characterized by analyzing microstructure, phase constitution and porosity. Wear behavior was studied by reciprocating-sliding tests, evaluating the wear rate by the loss of material and the wear mechanism.