Mechanical behaviors of diamond reinforced Ti-based bulk metallic glassy composites prepared by spark plasma sintering

Ti-based bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) and diamond-reinforced composites were fabricated using spark plasma sintering technique. Compared with the as-cast and sintered BMGs, the composite exhibited enhanced hardness and fracture strength. Moreover, an inverse relation between the hardness and the tribological performance was noted, i.e. the sintered BMG had stronger wear resistance than the other samples for long distance sliding. The tribological mechanisms were further studied in detail and the results showed that the mechanical property of the BMG/composite could be designed and obtained for their engineering application by powder metallurgy method.