Titanium Carbide Self-Propagating High-Temperature Synthesis in a Non-centered Copper Tube

Self-propagating high-temperature synthesis was performed on an equimolar mixture of titanium and graphite embedded in a copper tube of variable thickness. Such an experimental setup allows us to study the interaction between the reaction front and copper. Special attention was focused on copper melting, copper penetration within the sample, and quenching of the sample: it is shown that a minimum of 1 mm for the copper thickness is necessary to ensure the physical integrity of the surrounding metal. Nevertheless, reaction is not complete under these conditions. As a consequence, copper is not the most appropriate metal for field assisted combustion synthesis electrodes. As for thermal explosion and high isostatic pressing combustion synthesis, some valuable insights are provided, and a metal with slightly lower thermal diffusivity, lower electrical conductivity, and/or higher melting temperature would likely be a good candidate for such applications.