Mechanical, Thermal and Microstructural Characterization of Ti-SiC Metal Matrix Composites with Varying SiC Content using Powder Metallurgy

These Ti MMCs reinforced with SiC have a high strength-to-weight ratio, high thermal stability, corrosion resistance, and are in great demand in the aerospace, automotive, and defence fields. This paper presents the mechanical, thermal, and microstructural characterization of Ti MMCs reinforced with different SiC contents, namely: 1.5%, 2.5%, 3.5%, and 4.5%. An analysis has been conducted into the effect of SiC content on hardness, tensile strength, fracture toughness, thermal conductivity, and microstructure of composites. According to the findings, Mechanical properties increased with an increase in SiC up to 3.5% followed by further increments of SiC, resulting in particle agglomeration with slight property degradation. Microstructural analysis reveals uniform dispersion of SiC at low concentrations and aggregation at higher SiC content. Such microstructural features could be optimized for Ti-SiC MMCs toward high-performance applications. Keywords Titanium Matrix Composites (Ti MMCs), Silicon Carbide (SiC), Reinforcement, Mechanical Properties, Microstructure, Thermal Conductivity