Fabrication TiC/Ti₃SiC₂-diamond composites by spark plasma sintering using different binder

TiC/Ti₃SiC₂ bonded diamond composites were fabricated by spark plasma sintering using Ti/Si/2TiC and Ti₃SiC₂ powders as binder materials.Effect of binder material and holding time on the phase composition, microstructure and grinding properties of composites were studied.The result shows that there forms amounts of Ti₃SiC₂ when using Ti/Si/2TiC as binder with a holding time of 1 min, and the TiC/Ti₃SiC₂ bond has a good bond with diamond with no pores.When the holding time is 5 min, Ti₃SiC₂ decomposes and the main phase of the matrix is transformed to TiC and a certain amount of Si.The diamonds are etched then to form uneven surface.When Ti₃SiC₂ is used as the binder, the composite decomposes seriously to form TiC and Si.There is a transition layer with a thickness of about 15 μm between diamond and the matrix.In conclusion, the grinding ratio of the sample from Ti/Si/2TiC binder with a holding time of 1 min reaches the maximum value of 1 128, while the grinding ratios of the samples from Ti₃SiC₂ binder with holding time of 1 min or 5 min were about 100.