Microstructural characterisation and property evaluation of titanium cenosphere syntactic foam developed by powder metallurgy route

Abstract

In the present study, porous titanium based composite has been developed by powder metallurgy route using cenosphere and sodium chloride (NaCl) as space holders. The effect of cenosphere particle size and sintering parameters on density, microstructure, wear and corrosion resistance has been studied. The microstructure of the composite consists of uniform distribution of cenosphere in α-Ti matrix with the presence of few TiO₂ and SiO₂ phases. The density of the composites varies from 1331 to 1812 kg m^− 3. The kinetics and mechanism of fretting wear against hardened steel ball (at an oscillation frequency of 10 Hz) as a function of applied load (5 and 10 N) have been studied. There is a significant reduction in coefficient of friction in porous composite as compared to that of pure titanium. There is improvement in corrosion resistance in porous titanium composites as compared to as received titanium in 3.56 wt-% NaCl solution.

Keywords:

• Porous titanium
• Powder metallurgy
• Cenosphere
• Microstructure
• Wear
• Corrosion

Acknowledgement

Partial financial support from the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), New Delhi, for the present work is gratefully acknowledged.