Microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti3SiC2/3Y-TZP composites by spark plasma sintering

Ti3SiC2/3Y-TZP (3 mol% Yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal) composites were fabricated by spark plasma sintering (SPS). The effect of Ti3SiC2 content on room-temperature mechanical properties and microstructures of the composites were investigated. The Vickers hardness and bending strength of the composites decreased with the increasing of Ti3SiC2 content whereas the fracture toughness increased. The maximum fracture toughness of 9.88 MPa m1/2 was achieved for the composite with 50 vol.% Ti3SiC2. The improvement of the fracture toughness is owing to the crack deflection, crack bridging, the transformation toughening effects.