Paper Title
Influence of Si and Al on Ti-Max Phase Formation through Spark Plasma Sintering

Abstract
In this study, high dense Ti3SiC2 ceramics were synthesized by spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique with/without Al and excess Si at 1400°C, for 15 min, under a pressure of 50MPa and the effect of additions were investigated on the formation of Ti3SiC2. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were carried out for understanding the evaluation of phase development. XRD results showed that TiC appeared in the Ti3SiC2 ceramics, as unwanted intermediate phase which can be attributed to the loss of Si during sintering and lead to unreacted TiC. On the other hand, in the case of addition of Al and excess Si, it is achieved single phase of Ti3SiC2by SPS method. The effect of starting composition on the phase constituents, density, hardness and fracture toughness is analyzed and discussed comprehensively. Keywords- MAX phase, Titanium Silicon Carbide, SPS process, TiC.