Mechanical Properties and Structure of a ZrN–Zr Composite Material Produced by an Oxidative Constructing Technique

— An oxidative constructing technique is used to obtain bulky samples of compact metal-ceramic composite materials with a gradient structure consisting of a nitride ceramic shell in the form of a subsurface layer of ZrN and a core of a solid solution of nitrogen in zirconium. The synthesized composites exhibit enhanced strength properties compared to the original metal blanks. The ZrN–Zr composite samples are characterized by plasticity under compression conditions and are brittle under bending conditions. Compared to conventional techniques, the applied technique of oxidative constructing makes it possible to rather efficiently and economically obtain gradient metal-ceramic samples of products with dimensions and shapes that closely repeat those of an original metal blank.