Abstract
Effects of Al contents on a microstructure of TiB2-(Fe-Al) cermets prepared from a powder mixture of TiB2, Fe and Al were investigated. The contents of binder phases were Fe3Al, Fe3Al2 and FeAl used. The Al addition improved a relative density of the cermets compared with the non Al added TiB2-Fe cermets. This is because the molten Al infiltrated into the gaps between TiB2 particles during the sintering due to the good wettability of Al and TiB2, followed by the formation of (Fe-Al) phase occurred by a reaction between molten Al and solid Fe. The relative densities of the samples with Fe3Al2 and FeAl binder phase were lower than that of the sample with Fe3Al binder phase. An increase in Al content increases an order-disorder transition temperature of the (Fe-Al) phase; thus the sintering in the sample with Fe3Al2 and FeAl binder phase was carried out in the ordered state of the binder. The ordered phase usually shows a low deformability. Therefore, the sintering of the sample with Fe3Al2 or FeAl phases shows the lower relative densities than the sample with Fe3Al phase.