Microstructure and tribological properties of titanium matrix composites reinforced with in situ synthesized TiC particles

In this work, we prepared titanium matrix composites (TMCs) reinforced with in-situ polycarbosilane (PCS)-derived TiC particles. The effects of PCS addition on the microstructure, interface, hardness, and tribological properties were studied. The pyrolysis of PCS leads to the formation of in-situ TiC particles and Si solid-solution at a low PCS content (≤3 wt%). The TiC particles with a particle size of 4.8 μm are uniformly distributed in TMCs and have a well-bonded interface with the Ti matrix. The average grain size of α-Ti decreases from 100.5 μm in pure Ti to 16.1 μm in the Ti-3 wt% PCS composite. The presence of in situ synthesized TiC particles contributes to the excellent wear resistance of the Ti/PCS composites, which is ascribed to the increased hardness, superior load transfer capability, and oxidation wear resistance. The Ti-3 wt% PCS composite possesses the hardness of 4.72 GPa, elastic modulus of 169.23 GPa, and a low specific wear rate of 0.84 × 10⁻¹² m³/(N·m) under constant conditions (3 N, 0.03 m/s). These values are all superior to those of Ti-6Al-4V alloy. This work sheds light on the design of high wear-resistant TMCs for industrial applications.