Abstract: Ti3SiC2 ceramics with purity of 93% were prepared by reaction sintering technology.The hardness and flexural strength of the sintered ceramics were tested.The phase compositions,fracture surfaces and damage mechanism were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).The cause for porosity formation was analyzed by differential thermal analysis (DTA) and thermogravimetric analysis(TG).The results show that the hardness and flexural strength of the Ti3SiC2 ceramics were up to 101 HB and 105.59 MPa respectively and the flexural strength mainly increased with the mcrease of Ti3SiC2 content.Larger Ti3SiC2 grains were prone to breakage,transgranular fracture and delamination,but smaller grains were more easily pulled out.The damage in the contact region dissipated the energy so that Ti3SiC2 possessed quasi-plasticity.