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Journal of Advanced Ceramics 2022, 11(2): 321-330 https://doi.org/10.1007/s40145-021-0536-4
Research Article | Open Access | Issue | Published: 11 January 2022

Influence of binder systems on sintering characteristics, microstructures, and mechanical properties of PcBN composites fabricated by SPS

Show Author's Information Shuna CHENa,b,  Hengzhong FANa,  Yunfeng SUa( ),  Wensheng LIc,  Jicheng LIa,b,  Bing YANc,  Junjie SONGa,  Litian HUa,  Yongsheng ZHANGa( )
State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China
Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou 730050, China
Keywords:
polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PcBN), binder system, sintering characteristic, high temperature mechanical property, fracture mechanism
Cite this article:
CHEN S, FAN H, SU Y, et al. Influence of binder systems on sintering characteristics, microstructures, and mechanical properties of PcBN composites fabricated by SPS. Journal of Advanced Ceramics, 2022, 11(2): 321-330. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40145-021-0536-4
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Abstract Full text About this article

Cubic boron nitride (cBN) with high hardness, thermal conductivity, wear resistance, and chemical inertness has become the most promising abrasive and machining material. Due to the difficulty of fabricating pure cBN body, generally, some binders are incorporated among cBN particles to prepare polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PcBN). Hence, the binders play a critical factor to the performances of PcBN composites. In this study, the PcBN composites with three binder systems containing ceramic and metal phases were fabricated by spark plasma sintering (SPS) from 1400 to 1700 ℃. The sintering behaviors and mechanical properties of the composites were investigated. Results show that the effect of binder formulas on mechanical properties mainly related to the compactness, mechanical performances, and thermal expansion coefficient of binder phases, which affect the carrying capacity of the composites and the bonding strength between binder phases and cBN particles. The PcBN composite with SiAlON phase as binder presented optimal flexural strength (465±29 MPa) and fracture toughness (5.62±0.37 MPa·m1/2), attributing to the synergistic effect similar to transgranular and intergranular fractures. Meanwhile, the excellent mechanical properties can be maintained a comparable level when the temperature even rises to 800 ℃. Due to the weak bonding strength and high porosity, the PcBN composites with Al2O3-ZrO2(3Y) and Al-Ti binder systems exhibited inferior mechanical properties. The possible mechanisms to explain these results were also analyzed.


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Influence of binder systems on sintering characteristics, microstructures, and mechanical properties of PcBN composites fabricated by SPS

Show Author's information Shuna CHENa,b, Hengzhong FANa, Yunfeng SUa( ), Wensheng LIc, Jicheng LIa,b, Bing YANc, Junjie SONGa, Litian HUa, Yongsheng ZHANGa( )
State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China
Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou 730050, China

Abstract

Cubic boron nitride (cBN) with high hardness, thermal conductivity, wear resistance, and chemical inertness has become the most promising abrasive and machining material. Due to the difficulty of fabricating pure cBN body, generally, some binders are incorporated among cBN particles to prepare polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PcBN). Hence, the binders play a critical factor to the performances of PcBN composites. In this study, the PcBN composites with three binder systems containing ceramic and metal phases were fabricated by spark plasma sintering (SPS) from 1400 to 1700 ℃. The sintering behaviors and mechanical properties of the composites were investigated. Results show that the effect of binder formulas on mechanical properties mainly related to the compactness, mechanical performances, and thermal expansion coefficient of binder phases, which affect the carrying capacity of the composites and the bonding strength between binder phases and cBN particles. The PcBN composite with SiAlON phase as binder presented optimal flexural strength (465±29 MPa) and fracture toughness (5.62±0.37 MPa·m1/2), attributing to the synergistic effect similar to transgranular and intergranular fractures. Meanwhile, the excellent mechanical properties can be maintained a comparable level when the temperature even rises to 800 ℃. Due to the weak bonding strength and high porosity, the PcBN composites with Al2O3-ZrO2(3Y) and Al-Ti binder systems exhibited inferior mechanical properties. The possible mechanisms to explain these results were also analyzed.

Keywords: polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PcBN), binder system, sintering characteristic, high temperature mechanical property, fracture mechanism

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Publication history

Received: 28 May 2021
Revised: 25 August 2021
Accepted: 11 September 2021
Published: 11 January 2022
Issue date: February 2022

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© The Author(s) 2021.

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51775534), the West Light Foundation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (2019), and the LICP Cooperation Foundation for Young Scholars (No. HZJJ21-07).

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