Synthesis and characterization of novel Ti3SiC2–cBN composites

In this paper, synthesis of novel super hard and high performance composites of titanium silicon carbide–cubic boron nitride (Ti 3 SiC 2 –cBN) was evaluated at three different conditions: (a) high pressure synthesis at ~   4.5   GPa, (b) hot pressing at ~   35   MPa, and (c) sintering under ambient pressure (0.1   MPa) in a tube furnace. From the analysis of experimental results, the authors report that the novel Ti 3 SiC 2 –cBN composites can be successfully fabricated at 1050   °C under a pressure of ~   4.5   GPa from the mixture of Ti 3 SiC 2 powders and cBN powders. The subsequent analysis of the microstructure and hardness studies indicates that these composites are promising candidates for super hard materials.