Mechanical Properties and Cutting Performance of Titanium Carbide Whisker/Alumina Composites

Composite ceramics of alumina mixed with up to 50vol% titanium carbide whiskers were fabricated by hot-pressing at 1600°C under 30MPa for 30min. The mechanical properties and the cutting perfomance for cast iron or carbon steel of the hot-pressed bodies were studied. Dense composites with relative densities above 98% were obtained at whisker content with up to 40vol%. The composite containing 20vol% whiskers showed the highest bending strength of around 560MPa. Increasing whisker content decreased the elastic modulus, but increased the Vickers hardness and the fracture toughness. The composite mixed with 20vol% or 30vol% titanium carbide whiskers was found to be capable of having the cutting performance similar to the available ceramic composite cutting tools such as titanium carbide particle/alumina composite and silicon carbide whisker/alumina composite.