Effect of Mechanical Activation on a Mixture for Synthesizing Titanium Silicon Carbide

Composite powders of composition Ti–C–SiC–Al 2 O 3 were prepared by mechanical activation in a planetary mill. Scaly composite particles that were a titanium matrix with embedded particles of SiC and Al 2 O 3 were shown to form in the first hour of mechanical activation. The SiC/Ti ratio was observed to decrease gradually as the mixture was milled and composite particles formed, which was explained by a significant difference (by ~7 times) of the penetration depths of Cu K α -radiation into Ti and SiC.