Mechanism of combustion synthesis of TiC–Fe cermet

To investigate the mechanism of combustion synthesis of TiC–Fe cermet, a mixture of (Ti+C)+30 wt% Fe was used for a combustion front quenching test, and the microstructural evolution in the quenched sample was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectrometry. The temperature-time profile of the combustion was measured, and the phase constituents of the product were inspected by X-ray diffraction. Based on these results, the mechanism of the combustion synthesis was analyzed, and a ternary-reaction-diffusion/solution-precipitation model was proposed. Asynchronism and incompleteness of the combustion are discussed also.