Effect of the TiB2 content on the mechanical and tribological properties of TiB2/AZ91 composites fabricated by vacuum hot-press sintering process incorporating vacuum ball milling

Magnesium alloys have poor strength and wear resistance, restricting their application greatly, while Mg matrix composites can improve these deficiencies. TiB2/AZ91 composites with high TiB2 content were prepared by vacuum hot-press sintering process incorporating vacuum ball milling. The effects of TiB2 content on the microstructure, mechanical properties and tribological properties of the composites were investigated in detail. The results suggested that the TiB2 particle exhibited good bonding with the Mg matrix. With the increasing TiB2 content, the ultimate tensile strength, yield strength and elongation of TiB2/AZ91 composites firstly increased and then decreased, while the wear rate and wear surface roughness presented an opposite trend, and the hardness and coefficient of friction gradually increased. The composites with 5 wt% TiB2 obtained the maximum tensile properties (UTS: 234 MPa YS: 91 MPa EL: 7.3 %). This improvement in mechanical properties was attributed to the uniform distribution of TiB2 particles and the well bonding at the interface. The strengthening mechanisms were found to be the load transfer strengthening and the thermal mismatch strengthening. Furthermore, the composites with 15 wt% TiB2 demonstrated the lowest wear rate of 1.06×10−6 mm3/Nm and lowest wear surface roughness of 2.971 μm. This wear resistance was enhanced because of the significant increasing in hardness. The dominant wear mechanisms observed in TiB2/AZ91 composites were abrasive wear and oxidation wear.