| Abstract Scope |
Ultra-high temperature materials are becoming increasingly important due to potential applications in the space and defense industries. Recent studies have shown diboride-based materials, specifically ZrB2, with core-shell microstructures are promising high strength UHTC materials given their high strength at higher temperatures. The current research extends the work on ZrB2 to TiB2 and is focused on a 92 TiB2 - 5 WC - 3 SiC (vol%) composition. The material was hot pressed and machined into bars for room and high temperature 4-point bend testing. Sample microstructures were characterized using SEM and EDS. Mechanical testing for the TiB2 composition showed an average flexure strength of 1.07 GPa at room temperature, with decreased strength values at 1200°C, 1400°C, and 1600°C. Despite this, microstructural analysis showed grains with a core-shell structure similar to ZrB2 materials. This implies that high strength at elevated temperatures may not be wholly based on microstructure as previously thought. |