Investigation of mechanical and microstructure characteristics of Ti64-bagasse ash composite produced by the SPS process

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate and fabricate a Ti64-bagasse ash (BA) composite using the spark plasma sintering (SPS) method. Accordingly, the samples were fabricated under partial densification. XRD analysis, optical and electron microscopy (SEM), hardness measurement, and bending test were used to study the phases formed, the morphology of powders, microstructure, and mechanical properties of the samples, respectively. The results showed that increasing the volume percentage of bagasse ash affected the mechanical properties of the samples in addition to the microstructure. It was also observed that in the samples containing 5 vol.% bagasse ash, in addition to a significant decrease in the value of elastic modulus, the sample fabricated contained pores with a wall composed of ceramic and metal.