Wear behavior of ceramic nozzles in sand blasting treatments

Sand blasting nozzle is the most critical part in the sand blasting equipment. Ceramics being with high wear resistance have great potentials as the sand blasting nozzle materials. In this paper, monolithic B₄C and Al₂O₃/(W,Ti)C ceramic composite were developed to be used as nozzle materials. The wear behavior of nozzles made from these ceramic materials was compared by determining the cumulative mass loss and the erosion rates. Effect of the factors that influence the nozzle wear was investigated. Results showed that the hardness of the nozzles plays an important role with respect to its erosion wear in sand blasting processes. The monolithic B₄C nozzles being with high hardness exhibited lower erosion rates, while the Al₂O₃/(W,Ti)C nozzles with relative low hardness showed higher erosion rates under the same test conditions. Studies of the worn surface of the ceramic nozzles demonstrated that monolithic B₄C nozzles exhibited a brittle fracture induced removal process, while Al₂O₃/(W,Ti)C nozzles showed mainly a plowing type of material removal mode.     

Erosion behaviour of B4C-based ceramic composites

In this paper, TiO₂ was introduced into boron carbide and B₄C-based ceramic composites were obtained by uniaxial hot pressing. The mechanical properties, relative density and erosion behaviour of B₄C-based ceramic composites were investigated. X-ray analysis showed that the fabricated composites were composed of B₄C, TiB₂ and C phases. SEM technique was employed to observe the original polished surfaces and the eroded surfaces of B₄C-based ceramic composites. The effect of impingement angle, impact velocity of SiC erodent particle, relative density and phase ratio on the erosion rate of B₄C-based ceramic composites was determined. It was found that the erosion rate of B₄C-based ceramic composites increased with increasing of impingement angle and erodent particle velocity. The relative density and phase ratio influenced the erosion rate of B₄C-based ceramic composites significantly by influencing their mechanical properties.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of hot-pressed B4C/TiC/Mo ceramic composites

Boron carbide (B₄C)/TiC/Mo ceramic composites with different content of TiC were produced by hot pressing. The effect of TiC content on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the composites has been studied. Results showed that chemical reaction took place for this system during hot pressing sintering, and resulted in a B₄C/TiB₂/Mo composite with high density and improved mechanical properties compared to monolithic B₄C ceramic. Densification rates of the B₄C/TiC/Mo composites were found to be affected by additions of TiC. Increasing TiC content led to increase in the densification rates of the composites. The sintering temperature was lowered from 2150 °C for monolithic B₄C to 1950 °C for the B₄C/TiC/Mo composites. The fracture toughness, flexural strength, and hardness of the composites increased with increasing TiC content up to 10 wt.%. The maximum values of fracture toughness, flexural strength, and hardness are 4.3 MPa m^1/2, 695 MPa, and 25.0 GPa, respectively.     

Preparation and microstructure of 3D framework TiC–TiB2 ceramics and their reinforced steel matrix composites

An efficient method for in-situ fabrication of a three-dimensional framework based on heterogeneous TiC–TiB₂ materials with different B₄C content has been reported in the present study. Interpenetrating TiC–TiB₂/steel composites were subsequently prepared by infiltrating molten steel into TiC–TiB₂ framework. The XRD and SEM analyses confirmed that three-dimensional ceramics framework mainly consisted of heterogeneous TiC–TiB₂ phases with the ceramic particles closely connected with each other. TiC–TiB₂ ceramics framework exhibited a high porosity in the range 87.11%–95.95% and low bulk density of 0.17–0.22 g/cm³. The sample with ceramic framework containing 20 wt% B₄C exhibited the strongly continuous microstructure, whereas the sample with ceramic framework containing 25 wt% B₄C had the weakly continuous framework. The Vickers hardness and fracture toughness in the composites reached 284.5 HV and 23.7 MPa m^1/2, respectively. An optimal TiC: TiB₂ mass ratio of 37:55 could effectively inhibit the decomposition of TiB₂ in the molten steel. Inspecting the fracture surface, the dominated fracture modes was noted to be the quasi-cleavage and trans-granular dimple fracture, which could be attributed to novel three-dimensional bi-continuous structure formed between ceramic framework and steel substrate.     

B4C‒TiB2 composite with modified microstructure and enhanced properties from optimal size coupling of raw powders

B₄C‒15 vol% TiB₂ composites were fabricated by in situ reactive spark plasma sintering with B₄C, TiC, and amorphous B powders as the raw materials. The size coupling of initial B₄C and TiC particles was optimized based on the reaction mechanism to derive B₄C‒TiB₂ composites with enhanced microstructure and properties. During the reactive sintering, fine B₄C–TiB₂ particles were firstly formed by an in situ reaction between TiC and B. Then, large B₄C particles tended to grow at the cost of small B₄C particles. The in situ TiB₂ grains gradually grew up and interconnect, distributing around the large B₄C grains to form an intergranular TiB₂ network. The results showed that the B₄C‒15 vol% TiB₂ composite prepared from 3.12 μm B₄C powder and 0.80 μm TiC powder had the optimal comprehensive properties, with a relative density of 99.50%, a Vickers hardness of 31.84 GPa, a flexural strength of 780 MPa, a fracture toughness of 5.77 MPa·m^1/2, as well as an electrical resistivity of 3.01 × 10⁻² Ω·cm.     

Synthesis and properties of conductive B4C ceramic composites with TiB2 grain network

High electrical resistance and low fracture toughness of B₄C ceramics are 2 of the primary challenges for further machining of B₄C ceramics. This report illustrates that these 2 challenges can be overcome simultaneously using core‐shell B₄C‐TiB₂&TiC powder composites, which were prepared by molten‐salt method using B₄C (10 ± 0.6 μm) and Ti powders as raw materials without co‐ball milling. Finally, the near completely dense (98%) B₄C‐TiB₂ interlayer ceramic composites were successfully fabricated by subsequent pulsed electric current sintering (PECS). The uniform conductive coating on the surface of B₄C particles improved the mass transport by electro‐migration in PECS and thus enhanced the sinterability of the composites at a comparatively low temperature of 1700°C. The mechanical, electrical and thermal properties of the ceramic composites were investigated. The interconnected conductive TiB₂ phase at the grain boundary of B₄C significantly improved the properties of B₄C‐TiB₂ ceramic composites: in the case of B₄C‐29.8 vol% TiB₂ composite, the fracture toughness of 4.38 MPa·m^1/2, the electrical conductivity of 4.06 × 10⁵ S/m, and a high thermal conductivity of 33 W/mK were achieved.     

Design and optimization of TiB2-based ceramic tool materials based on fuzzy theory

Based on the material properties and fuzzy theory, a new design method of TiB₂-based composite ceramic tool material was proposed, and the TiB₂-based composite ceramic tool material with excellent friction and wear resistance was designed. Initially, the fuzzy evaluation method was used to establish the matrix of the friction and wear resistance of the material, and the TiB₂-based material component with excellent friction and wear resistance was determined. Ultimately, based on the principle of fuzzy cognitive map, the correlation mapping of “sintering process–microstructure–mechanical properties” was established, and the composition ratio and sintering process were optimized. The results show that the TiB₂–TaC–TiC ceramic tool material had excellent friction and wear resistance. When the volume content of TaC was 8 vol.%, the volume content of TiC was 20 vol.%, the heating rate was 100°C/min, the holding time was 8 min, the sintering temperature was 1600°C, and the sintering pressure was 50 MPa, the mechanical properties were hardness 23.5 GPa, bending strength 438 MPa, and fracture toughness 10.26 MPa∙m^1/2.     

Enhancement mechanical properties of in-situ preparated B4C-based composites with small amount of (Ti3SiC2+Si)

B₄C-based composites were synthesized by spark plasma sintering using B₄C、Ti₃SiC₂、Si as starting materials. The effects of sintering temperature and second phase content on mechanical performance and microstructure of composites were studied. Full dense B₄C-based composites were obtained at a low sintering temperature of 1800 °C. The B₄C-based composite with 10 wt% (TiB₂+SiC) shows excellent mechanical properties: the Vickers hardness, fracture toughness, and flexural strength are 33 GPa, 8 MPa m^1/2, 569 MPa, respectively. High hardness and flexural strength were attributed to the high relative density and grain refinement, the high fracture toughness was owing to the crack deflection and uniform distribution of the second phase.     

陶瓷喷砂嘴的冲蚀磨损机理研究

以B4C和Al203／(W，Ti)C陶瓷材料制备喷砂嘴，以SiC和Al2O3作为冲蚀磨料进行了喷砂冲蚀试验。研究了陶瓷喷嘴材料的冲蚀磨损机理以及不同冲蚀磨科对陶瓷喷嘴冲蚀磨损的影响。结果表明：喷嘴材料的硬度对陶瓷喷嘴的冲蚀磨损起重要作用。在相同条件下，具有高硬度的B4C陶瓷喷砂嘴的磨损率较小，相对硬度较低的Al2O3/（W,Ti）C陶瓷喷嘴磨损率较大。B4C陶瓷喷嘴的主要磨损机理为脆性断裂，而Al2O3/（W,Ti）C陶瓷喷嘴的主要磨损机理为微观切削。冲蚀用磨科的硬度和粒度对陶瓷喷嘴的磨损也有一定的影响，磨料的硬度和粒度越大，陶瓷喷嘴的磨损速度加快。     

B4C–TiB2 composites fabricated by hot pressing TiC–B mixtures: The effect of B excess

Previous research have reported that B₄C–TiB₂ composites could be prepared by the reactive sintering of TiC–B powder mixtures. However, due to spontaneous oxidation of raw powders, using TiC–B powder mixtures with a B/TiC molar ratio of 6: 1 introduced an intermediate phase of C during the sintering process, which deteriorated the hardness of the composites. In this report, the effects of B excess on the phase composition, microstructure, and mechanical properties of B₄C–TiB₂ composites fabricated by reactive hot pressing TiC–B powder mixtures were investigated. XRD and Raman spectra confirmed that lattice expansion occurred in B-rich boron carbide and B_xC–TiB₂ (x > 4) composites were obtained. The increasing B content improved the hardness and fracture toughness but decreased the flexural strength of B_xC–TiB₂ (x > 4) composites. When the molar ratio of B/TiC increased from 6.6:1 to 7.8:1, the Vickers hardness and the fracture toughness of the composites were enhanced from 26.7 GPa and 4.53 MPa m^1/2 to 30.4 GPa and 5.78 MPa m^1/2, respectively. The improved hardness was attributed to the microstructural improvement, while the toughening mechanism was crack deflection, crack bridging and crack branching.     

Integrated high strength and high toughness induced by elongated TiB2 grains in reactive sintered TiB2–TiC–SiC ceramics

Although the addition of other phases into TiB₂ matrix to form ceramic composites has been widely used to improve the mechanical properties of monolithic TiB₂ ceramics, it is still difficult to greatly enhance the flexural strength and fracture toughness simultaneously. In this work, TiB₂–TiC–SiC composites were successfully prepared by reactive spark plasma sintering of Ti₃SiC₂–B₄C–Ti powder mixtures. During the sintering process, TiB₂ grains grew into an elongated morphology, endowing the composites with integrated high strength and high toughness. The growth mechanism of TiB₂ grains was attributed to the evaporation–condensation kinetics induced by the presence of B₂O₃. These findings can accelerate the exploration of ceramic composites with excellent comprehensive properties.     

Layered structures in ceramic nozzles for improved erosion wear resistance in industrial coal-water-slurry boilers

The nozzle is the most critical part in the coal-water-slurry (CWS) boilers. Ceramics being highly wear resistant have great potential as CWS nozzle materials. In this paper, Al₂O₃/(W,Ti)C + Al₂O₃/TiC layered ceramics (LN1, LN2, and LN3) with different thickness ratios among constituent layers were developed to be used as nozzles in CWS boilers. CWS burning tests in a boiler with these nozzles were carried out. The erosion wear behavior of the layered nozzles was investigated and compared with an unstressed reference nozzle (N5). Results showed that the layered ceramic nozzles exhibited an apparent increase in erosion wear resistance over the unstressed reference one. The mechanisms responsible were found to be that layered structure in the CWS nozzles can improve the hardness and fracture toughness of the external layer, and reduce the temperature gradients and the thermal stresses at the exit of the nozzle during CWS burning processes. It is suggested that layered structures in ceramic nozzles is an effective way to improve the erosion wear resistance over the stress-free ceramic nozzles in industrial CWS boilers.     

Rapid synthesis of Ti3AlC2/TiB2 composites by the spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique

Dense Ti₃AlC₂/TiB₂ composites were successfully fabricated from B₄C/TiC/Ti/Al powders by spark plasma sintering (SPS). The microstructure, flexural strength and fracture toughness of the composites were investigated. The experimental results indicate that the Vickers hardness increased with the increase in TiB₂ content. The maximum flexural strength (700 ± 10 MPa) and fracture toughness (7.0 ± 0.2 MPa m^1/2) were achieved through addition of 10 vol.% TiB₂, however, a slight decrease in the other mechanical properties was observed with TiB₂ addition higher than 10 vol.%, which is believed to be due to TiB₂ agglomeration.     

Fracture toughness in some hetero-modulus composite carbides: carbon inclusions and voids

Structure and mechanical characteristics of dense ceramic composites synthesised by reactive hot pressing of TiC–B₄C powder mixtures at 1800–1950°C under 30?MPa were investigated by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM and EDX). The results show that during hot pressing solid-phase chemical reaction 2TiC?+?B₄C?=?2TiB₂?+?3C has occurred with final products like TiB₂–TiC–C, TiB₂–C or TiB₂–B₄C–C hetero-modulus composite formation with around one micrometer size carbon precipitates. The fracture toughness depends on the amount of graphite precipitation and has a distinct maximum K1C?=?10?MPa?m^1/2 at nearly 7?vol.-% of carbon precipitate. The fracture toughness behaviour is explained by the developed model of crack propagation. Within the model, it is shown that pores (voids) and low-modulus carbon inclusions blunt the cracks and can increase ceramic toughness in some cases.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of B4C–TiB2 ceramic composites prepared via a two-step method

B₄C–TiB₂ ceramic composites were fabricated by a two-step method. First, B₄C–TiB₂ composite powders were synthesized from TiC–B powder mixtures at 1400 ℃, then mixed with commercial B₄C powders by ball milling and the B₄C–TiB₂ ceramic composites were prepared by hot pressing at 1950 ℃. This two-step method not only effectively refined TiB₂ grains, but also allowed the composition of the composites to be freely designed. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the composites were investigated. The results showed that the B₄C–TiB₂ ceramic composite with a 10 wt% TiB₂ content obtained the ideal comprehensive performance, with a volume density, Vickers hardness, bending strength, and fracture toughness of 2.61 g/cm³, 35.3 GPa, 708 MPa, and 5.82 MPa m^1/2, respectively. The advantages of the in-situ reaction process were fully exerted by the two-step method, which made a remarkable contribution to the excellent properties of B₄C–TiB₂ ceramic composites.     

Characterization of the structure of TiB2/TiC nanocomposite powders fabricated by high-energy ball milling

TiB₂/TiC nanocomposite powders were successfully prepared by high-energy ball milling of the powder mixtures of Ti and B₄C. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the TiC phase was not produced until the milling time was up to 24 h and only a minimal amount of TiB₂ was generated, even after 48 h of milling. The critical grain size of Ti milled for the reaction between Ti and B₄C was 31.2 nm. Transmission electron microscopy clearly indicated that the resulting powder mixture obtained after milling for 48 h and annealing at 800 °C for 30 min was composed of nanosized TiC and TiB₂ particles.     

Microstructure and properties of bilayered B4C-based ceramics

Bilayered B₄C-based ceramics were obtained by hot-pressing. Microstructure, mechanical and ballistic properties of the bilayered ceramics were investigated. One layer was obtained upon addition of Ti and C to the hard B₄C matrix, the newly formed TiB₂ phase uniformly distributed in the matrix. The other layer included variable amounts of Ti₃SiC₂, equal to 10, 20, 30, 40 wt%, and the B₄C-SiC matrix in a fixed weight ratio of 7:3. The amount of TiB₂ and SiC phases, deriving from Ti₃SiC₂ decomposition upon sintering, increased with increasing the Ti₃SiC₂ content. The flexural strength and fracture toughness of bilayered ceramics both increased with increasing the Ti₃SiC₂ content from 10 to 40 wt%. Ballistic testing showed that the B₄C-based ceramic target containing 30 wt% Ti₃SiC₂ broken into pieces upon being impacted by a 12.7 mm armor-piercing incendiary (API) projectile, and effectively consumed the bullet energy and protected the backing plate from serious damage.     

Interfacial microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of B4C-based composite joints bonded with Ti foil

The interfacial microstructure and mechanical properties of B₄C-SiC-TiB₂ composite joints diffusion bonded with Ti foil interlayer were investigated. The joints were diffusion bonded in the temperature range of 800–1200?°C with 50?MPa by spark plasma sintering. The results revealed that robust joint could be successfully obtained due to the interface reaction. B₄C reacted with Ti to form nanocrystalline TiB₂ and TiC at the interface at 800–1000?°C. Both the reactions between SiC and Ti and between TiB₂ and Ti were not observed during joining. A full ceramic joint consisted of micron- and submicron-sized TiB₂ and TiC, accompanied with the formation of micro-crack, was achieved for the joint bonded at 1200?°C. Joint strength was evaluated and the maximum shear strength (145?±?14.1?MPa) was obtained for the joint bonded at 900?°C. Vickers hardness of interlayer increased with increasing the joining temperature.     

Dense and core-rim structured B4C-TiB2 ceramics with Mo-Co-WC additive

B₄C-TiB₂ ceramics (TiB₂ ranging 5~70 vol%) with Mo-Co-WC as the sintering additive were prepared by spark plasma sintering. In comparison with B₄C-TiB₂ without additive, the enhanced densification was evident in the sintered specimen with Mo-Co-WC additive. Core-rim structured grain was observed around TiB₂ grains. The interface of the rim between TiB₂ and B₄C phases demonstrated different feature: the inner borderline of the rim exhibited a smooth feature, whereas a sharp curved grain boundary was observed between the rim and the B₄C grain. The formation mechanism is discussed: the epitaxial growth of (Ti,Mo,W)B₂ rim around the TiB₂ core may occur as a result of the solid solution and dissolution-precipitation between TiB₂ phase and the sintering additive. It was revealed that the fracture toughness increased as the content of TiB₂ content increased, alongside the decreased hardness. B₄C-30 vol% TiB₂ specimen demonstrated the optimal combination of mechanical properties, reaching Vickers hardness of 24.3 GPa and fracture toughness of 3.33 MPa·m^1/2.     

Microstructures and mechanical properties of B4C–SiC and B4C–SiC–TiB2 ceramic composites fabricated by hot pressing

Boron carbide (B₄C) ceramic composites with excellent mechanical properties were fabricated by hot-pressing using B₄C, silicon carbide (SiC), titanium boride (TiB₂), and magnesium aluminum silicate (MAS) as raw materials. The influences of SiC and TiB₂ content on the microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of the composites were systematically investigated. The mechanism by which MAS promotes the sintering process of composites was also investigated. MAS exists in composites in the form of amorphous phase. It can effectively remove the oxide layer from the surface of ceramic particles during the high temperature sintering process. The typical values of relative density, hardness, bending strength, and fracture toughness of B₄C–SiC–TiB₂ composites are 99.6%, 32.61 GPa, 434 MPa, and 6.20 MPa m^1/2, respectively. Based on the microstructure observations and finite element modeling, the operative toughening mechanism is mainly attributed to the crack deflection along the grain boundary, which results from the residual stress field generated by the thermal expansion mismatch between B₄C and TiB₂ phase.