Effects of Sintering Process on the Properties of Ti<sub>3</sub>SiC<sub>2</sub>/Cu Composite

In this paper, a new type of Ti 3 SiC 2 /Cu composites with the volume fractions of 30% Ti 3 SiC 2 particle was prepared by hot pressing and vacuum sintering respectively. The effects of sintering temperature and holding time on the density, resistance and Vickers hardness of Cu-30vol%Ti 3 SiC 2 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% Ti 3 SiC 2 composites are rather high in suitable sintering conditions. It achieved 100% for the composites prepared by hot pressing at 930°C for 2h, and 98.4% for the composites prepared by vacuum sintering at 1250°C for 1h. At the same time, the maximum Vickers hardness reached 1735MPa at 900°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.