Investigating the microstructure, characteristics, and ballistic performance of durable B4C-TiB2 composites densified with Gas Pressure Sintering

B4C-TiB2 composites with a 75/25 volume ratio were fabricated through pressureless sintering with and without gas pressure in the final stage of densification, using a new prototypal furnace. The densification was improved by high-energy milling, which introduced WC impurities that served as a sintering aid and resulted in the size reduction of the starting ceramic powders. For comparison, a B4C-TiB2 composite of the same composition and powder treatment was sintered using hot pressing. The gas pressure sintered ceramic showed better strength, stiffness, and toughness than the hot-pressed composite when densified at 2050 °C, but lower hardness. Depth of Penetration tests on discs with thicknesses of 3, 4 and 5 mm and 50 mm of diameter showed that the gas pressure sintered material outperformed the hot-pressed material, and the results were confirmed through statistical analysis. The study also showed that hardness does not determine the best ballistic performance.