Preparation and scratch test of AlMgB14 modified by TiB2

In this paper, the Al Mg B14 and Al Mg B14–Ti B2 composites were synthesized by means of mechanical alloying and the field-activated and pressure-assisted synthesis process. The effect of temperature and pressure on the purity and property of products was discussed. The results show that the process of preparing Al Mg B14 bulk materials is optimized as follows: synthesis temperature1,400–1,500 °C, heating rate 100 °C min-1, axial pressure60 MPa, heat preservation 8–10 min, optimum starting powders’ ratio Al: Mg: B = 0.1915:0.1363:0.6722, and adding excessive 3 wt% Al. The abrasion resistance of Al Mg B14 composites with varying amounts of Ti B2 was studied using single-point diamond scratch tests with loads ranging from 10 to 100 N in 10 N increments. The scratch width increases almost linearly with the applied load and decreases with Ti B2 proportion increasing up to 70 wt%.With its advantages of fast heating, short reaction time,energy conservation, and high purity, this method offers a new way to synthesize Al Mg B14 and Al Mg B14–Ti B2 composites.