This article examines the current state and development prospects of the Russian market for titanium and its derivatives, particularly titanium carbide (TiC). Titanium carbide, with its outstanding mechanical properties, is widely used in various industrial applications, including the production of cutting tools and high-temperature materials. The review section of the article describes various methods for producing TiC, including high-temperature sintering and plasma technologies, providing a comprehensive picture of the technological and scientific approaches to obtaining and optimizing production processes and improving the quality of the final product. In this study, the selected approach for producing titanium carbide was the use of low-temperature plasma, additionally exposed to microwave radiation, implemented in a combined laboratory setup. Pure titanium oxide and various carbon-containing materials (carbidizers) were used for the model experiment. The conducted research demonstrates the use of a polynomial neural network model (PNNM), optimizing the plasma-chemical synthesis (PCS) parameters and the improving the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the resulting product, depending on the input process conditions. Additional research tools, such as the finite element method, allowed us to obtain primary data for initial training of the PNM, specifically, to introduce dependencies of the physical parameters of the PCS process. The obtained experimental dependencies allowed us to retrain and configure the PNM, which, through adaptive learning, allows us to adjust the setup modes. In the future, the PNNM will help improve the PCS process and the characteristics of the resulting material, increasing equipment productivity, and even modifying the design features of individual components, such as the plasma torch. The results of chemical and spectral analysis of the synthesis products, consisting primarily of titanium carbide, are presented. Changes in the composition and structure of the resulting synthesis products after high-temperature plasma exposure are analyzed. The research results highlight the importance of exploring and improving technological approaches to the production and manufacture of refractory compounds, such as titanium carbide, with desired properties, which will enable the successful development and rapid deployment of Russian production facilities in the future.
Balakhonov et al. (Wed,) studied this question.