The Mechanical and Corrosion Properties of Hot-Rolled TiB2/Ni Composites

To quickly prepare TiB2/Ni composites at low temperatures, a method combining spark plasma sintering and hot rolling was used. This paper presents the preparation, microstructural and mechanical properties, strengthening mechanism and corrosion properties of TiB2/Ni composites in detail. X-ray diffraction analysis shows that the texture degree of the TiB2/Ni composites after hot rolling greatly differed from that of the as-rolled pure Ni samples. The addition of TiB2 particles limited grain growth in the Ni matrix and led to grain refinement. Dislocation strengthening, grain refinement strengthening and load transfer strengthening contributed to a 30% increase in the tensile strength compared to that of the as-rolled pure Ni. In addition, the strengthening mechanism of the mechanical property reinforcement was analyzed. The electrochemical test results demonstrate that the as-rolled pure Ni exhibited a lower corrosion current density and corrosion resistance than the other as-rolled TiB2/Ni composites fabricated in this paper. This work demonstrates a new approach for fabricating composites in less time at lower preparation temperatures than conventional methods.