Arc erosion behavior of TiB₂/Cu composites reinforced withdifferent sized TiB₂ particles

The 3wt%TiB₂/Cu composites reinforced with different sized TiB₂ particles were prepared by spark plasma sintering (SPS). The variations of density, electrical conductivity, hardness and arc resistance of 3wt%TiB₂/Cu composites with the TiB₂ particle size were studied, and arc erosion behavior of the TiB₂/Cu composites reinforced with different sized TiB₂ particles were emphatically analyzed. The results show that the hardness and density of 3wt%TiB₂/Cu composite decrease gently with increasing of TiB₂ particles size. The comprehensive performance of 3wt%TiB₂/Cu composite with fine TiB₂ particle size is better. With the increase of TiB₂ particles size, the stability of the arc erosion resistance of 3wt%TiB₂/Cu composites decreases, and the mass loss of 3wt%TiB₂/Cu composites cathode material increases. The arc erosion resistance of 3wt%TiB₂/Cu composite reinforced with 10 μm TiB₂ particles is optimal. Observations on arc erosion morphology show that 3wt%TiB₂/Cu composites are mostly transferred from cathodes to anodes, and the mass loss of cathode and arc erosion area on the contact surface increase gradually with increasing of the TiB₂ particle size, which shows that the fine TiB₂ particles in Cu matrix can reduce the splashing of molten copper during arc erosion.