Preparation of ultra®ne TiC±Ni cermet powders

Abstract Pure titanium, nickel and carbon powders were mechanically alloyed to synthesize the TiC±Ni cermet powders with ultra®ne microstructures. As a result of milling, formation of the ultra®ne TiC or amorphous Ti±Ni phase were obtained, depending on milling conditions. The effect of milling variables on the synthesizing behaviour of the powders was investigated. The sintered TiC±Ni cermet from the mechanically alloyed powders contained TiC particles of 0.2±1.5 mm in size as compared with those of 3±5 mm for a commercial cermet. The spex-milling technique of the mechanical alloying process turned out to be more effective in the formation of the ®nal cermet microstructure than the ball-milling one. # 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved. Keywords: TiC±Ni cermet powders; Mechanical alloying; Spex-milling technique