Functionally Gradient Ti6Al4V-TiB Composite Produced by Spark Plasma Sintering

Abstract

Functionally gradient materials (FGM) are progressive materials, where the final characteristics are sequentially changing with dimensions. Direct fabrication of functionally gradient Ti6Al4V-TiB composite was performed by spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique. Powder mixtures of six different ratios of Ti-alloy and TiB2 were subjected to sintering at a temperature of 1350oC and a pressure of 50 MPa with a dwelling time of 15 min to obtain a six-layer specimen. Scanning electron microscope images demonstrate smooth transition between layers. Vikers hardness (HV5) is 350 on the top side and 1038 on the bottom side, and a corresponding coefficient of friction (CoF) is 0.99 and 0.76, respectively, which demonstrates their different performance under sliding wear.