Preparation of AlON–TiC composites via reaction-bonding

AlON–TiC composites were fabricated via a reaction-bonding technique, using Al, Al2O3 and TiC powders as the starting materials. A composite sample sintered at 1850 °C after nitriding is highly densified and the Vickers hardness and fracture toughness of the sample are about 1751.1 kg/mm2 and 5.3 MPa m1/2, respectively. The composition and microstructure of the sample are characterized by means of XRD and SEM/EDX.