Phase Composition, Structure and Properties of the Spark Plasma Sintered Ceramics Obtained from the Al₁₂Mg₁₇-B-Si...

In this work, composite materials were obtained by spark plasma sintering of an Al₁₂Mg₁₇-B-Si powder mixture. The structure, phase composition, and mechanical properties of the obtained composites were studied. It was found that various compounds based on B₁₂ icosahedrons, such as AlB₁₂, B₄Si, and B₆Si, are formed during spark plasma sintering. Based on the SEM images and results of XRD analysis of the obtained specimens, a probable scheme for the formation of the phase composition of composite materials during spark plasma sintering was proposed. An increase in the Al₁₂Mg₁₇-B powder content in the initial mixture from 30 to 70 wt% leads to an increase in hardness from 16.55 to 21.24 GPa and a decrease in the friction coefficient and wear rate from 0.56 to 0.32 and 13.60 to 5.60 10^-5 mm^-3/(N/m), respectively.