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Mechanically Activated Combustion Synthesis Of Niobium Silicide Based Composites, Reina Trevino

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Niobium silicide-based composites are promising materials for high-temperature structural applications, such as gas turbines, but their implementation is hindered by the lack of effective processing methods. Self-propagating high-temperature synThesis (SHS) is an attractive method for fabrication of advanced materials. However, it is difficult to perform SHS of niobium silicides because the melting point of Nb is higher than the combustion temperature, which greatly inhibits Nb-Si reaction. To ignite an Nb/Si mixture and obtain Nb5Si3, the desired phase in niobium silicides, either preheating or mechanical activation of the mixture is necessary. This problem becomes even more critical in the SHS of …