Mechanochemical synthesis and high-frequency induction heated consolidation of nanostructured Ti₅Si₃ and its mechanical properties

Pure Ti and Si powders were milled in a horizontal-rotation ball mill and in a high-energy ball mill to synthesize Ti₅Si₃ powders. The high-energy ball milling produced nanosized single-phase Ti ₅Si₃ particles. Meanwhile, no reaction occurred during the horizontal milling. The two milled powders were consolidated using the high-frequency induction heated sintering method. A dense nanostructured Ti ₅Si₃ compact was consolidated within 2 min using the mechanically synthesized Ti₅Si₃ powder. The retainment of nanoscale structure during sintering is believed to be the reason for the good mechanical properties of the Ti₅Si₃ compact. In comparison, the horizontally milled powder reacted to form Ti₅Si ₃ partially on sintering. It is believed that the enhanced toughness of the horizontally milled samples may be due to the crack-deterring effect of softer Si/Ti grains.