Control of interfacial interaction during detonation spraying of Ti3SiC2-Cu composites

Changes in the phase composition of the 20 vol % Ti3SiC2-Cu composite during detonation spraying as well as corresponding microstructure formation processes in the sprayed coatings have been studied. It was demonstrated that when the amount of the explosive acetylene+oxygen mixture is kept constant (under the constant filled volume fraction of the barrel of the detonation gun of a CCDS2000 facility), the phase composition of the coating depends on the composition of the explosive mixture. The Ti3SiC2-Cu system is prone to interfacial interaction; therefore, in order to produce a dense coating preserving the phase composition, oxygen-depleted explosive mixtures should be used and small filled fractions of the barrel. As the temperature of the sprayed particles increases with increasing oxygen content in the explosive mixture, titanium silicon carbide reacts with copper, which results in the formation of the titanium carbide phase and dissolution of the de-intercalated silicon in the copper matrix leading to the formation of TiC x -Cu〈Si〉 coatings.