Low temperature dependence of the elastic properties of Ti3SiC2

In this work, the Young's, E, and shear, mu, moduli of Ti3SiC2 are measured ultrasonically in the 20-300 K temperature range. At room temperature, Young's, E-RT, and shear, mu(RT), moduli are 322+/-2 and 133.6+/-0.8 GPa, respectively. Poisson's ratio is 0.2. Both moduli increase slowly with decreasing temperature and plateau out at temperatures below approximate to 130 K. A least square fit of the data yields, mu/mu(RT) =1-1.42X10(-4) (T-298) and E/E-RT =1-0.95X10(-4) (T-298) for temperatures greater than 140 K. The elastic Debye temperature is estimated to be 427 K, which is significantly lower than the value of 620 K calculated from heat capacity measurements. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(99)00310-2].