Densification behavior of spark plasma sintered duplex stainless steel reinforced with TiN nanoparticles

Abstract

Duplex stainless steel (SAF 2205) reinforced with titanium nitride (TiN) nanoparticles ranging from 0 to 8 wt% were fabricated in vacuum via spark plasma sintering (SPS) using optimized SPS process parameter of 1150°C, 10 min and 100°C/min. The influence of TiN addition on the densification and shrinkage mechanism of the fabricated duplex stainless steel composite were evaluated. The results indicate even dispersion of the TiN nanoparticles in the steel matrix during tubular mixing. The displacement and shrinkage rates showed three densification stages relating to micro-nano particles rearrangement, plastic deformation of the particles and rapid densification of the composite. The steel composite samples displayed relatively high densities in the range of 96-99 % of the calculated theoretical density but were noted to decrease with TiN content.