Fabrication and mechanical properties of a nanostructured TiN-AIN composite by pulsed current activated sintering

A dense nanostructured TiN-AIN composite was prepared from high-energy ball milled TiN-AlN mixture powders by pulsed current activated sintering (PCAS). A highly dense TiN-AIN bulk composite was obtained within 2 minutes at 1500 °C with the simultaneous application of 80 MPa pressure and pulsed current. The fine crystalline structure of the TiN-AIN mixture, which was obtained by high-energy milling, was effectively maintained during PCAS and resulted in the enhancement of the mechanical properties. The micro hardness and fracture toughness of TiN-AIN composite were 1780 kg/mm² and 5 MPa m ^1/2, respectively. The mechanical properties were higher than monolithic AIN or TiN.