ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the machining and vibration behavior of titanium (Ti)–titanium boride (TiB) composites fabricated through powder metallurgy techniques are presented. Twenty and 40 vol% of titanium boride were reinforced with titanium and processed with spark plasma sintering, hot isostatic pressing (HIP), and vacuum sintering. The fabricated composites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The machining performance of the sintered composites was evaluated using electrical discharge machining. Peak current, pulse-on, and -off time were selected as input factors. Material removal rate, tool wear rate, and surface roughness were considered as performance indicators. Furthermore, the damping behavior of the composites was also analyzed. Damping measurements of all the specimens were attained by a dynamic mechanical analyzer at different frequencies. The results revealed that 40 vol% TiB through HIP exhibit better performance than other sintering techniques for machining. On the other hand, the frequency influences the damping capacity of the composite for temperatures above 230 °C. Its value reaches 975 × 10−3 N m/s for the frequency of 0.5 Hz, which endorses that TiB is a capable reinforcement for titanium composites to achieve enhanced damping properties without compromising the strength and stiffness of the matrix.
