STTR Phase I: Synthesis and Consolidation of Ultrafine Titanium Carbide

这个小型企业技术转移（STTR）一期项目将开发一种低成本的工艺，从氯前驱体合成超细碳化钛（TiC）粉末，并将该粉末与金属粉末一起固化，以生产细颗粒复合材料。广泛应用tic基复合材料用于高温结构和切削工具的主要障碍是其低断裂韧性和高生产成本。利用低成本常温机械化学工艺合成的纳米碳化物粉末制备复合材料，可以同时实现韧性的提高和成本的降低。第一阶段将重点优化控制以下参数的参数：(1)机械化学过程中的反应速率，(2)金属基粉末与硬质TiC研磨生产复合粉末时的粒度，以及(3)固结过程中的晶粒生长。研究目标是生产具有纳米级晶粒尺寸的经济高效的复合材料。该工艺技术有潜力作为一种商业技术，用于合成超细金属碳化物粉末，用于金属基复合材料和碳化钛刀具等产品。

This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project will develop a low cost process to synthesize ultrafine titanium carbide (TiC) powder from its chloride precursor and to consolidate this powder, along with metal powders, to produce fine grained composites. Major impediments to the wide spread use of TiC-based composite materials for high temperature structural and cutting tool applications are their low fracture toughness and high cost of production. Increase in toughness and reduction in cost may be achieved simultaneously by producing composites using nanocrystalline carbide powder synthesized by a low cost, ambient temperature mechanochemical process. Phase I will focus on optimizing the parameters which control (i) the reaction rate during the mechanochemical process, (ii) the particle size of metal matrix powders during milling with hard TiC to produce composite powder, and (iii) grain growth during consolidation. The research objective is production of cost-effective composites with a nanoscale grain size.This process technology has potential as a commercial technique for synthesis of ultrafine metal carbide powders used in products like metal matrix composites and titanium carbide cutting tools.