Effect of Ti₂AlC Particle Size Distribution on Microstructure and Properties of TiC_0.5-Al₂O₃/Cu Composites

Ti₂AlC powder with different particle size distribution was obtained by wet ball milling for different times, and then mixed with Cu₂O powder and copper powder to prepare TiC_0.5-Al₂O₃/Cu composite by discharge plasma sintering. The effect of particle size distribution of the Ti₂AlC powder on microstructure and properties of composites was studied. The results show that when the submicron particle volume fraction of the Ti₂AlC powder increased from 0 to 70.27%, the reinforcement particles TiC_0.5 and Al₂O₃ dispersed in the matrix more evenly; when the volume fraction of submicron particles was 98.07%, the reinforcement particles aggregated. With increasing the submicron particle volume fraction, the conductivity and relative density of the composites decreased first and then increased, while the hardness and yield strength increased first and then decreased.When the submicron particle volume fraction reached 70.27%, the composite had the best comprehensive performance.