A TiC-Mo ₂C-WC-Ni alloy cermet was fabricated by high-energy ball milling (HEBM) and consolidation through spark plasma sintering. The TiC-based powders were synthesized with different milling times (6, 12, 24, and 48 h) and subsequently consolidated by rapid sintering at 1300°C and a load of 60 MPa. An increase in the HEBM time led to improved sinterability as there was a sufficient driving force between the particles during densification. Core-rim structures such as (Ti, W)C and (Ti, Mo)C (rim) were formed by Ostwald ripening while inhibiting the coarsening of the TiC (core) grains. The TiC grains became refined (2.57 to 0.47 µm), with evenly distributed rims. This led to improved fracture toughness (11.1 to 14.8 MPa·m ^1/2) owing to crack deflection, and the crack propagation resistance was enhanced by mitigating intergranular fractures around the TiC core.

Al-Ti-Si-W quaternary powders were mechanically synthesized by planetary ball milling; and further consolidated by spark plasma sintering. The nominal compositions of the quaternary alloys were designed to be Al60Ti30Si5W5 and Al45Ti40Si10W5 (wt.%). The microstructural evolution of intermetallic compounds in Al-Ti-Si-W alloys included titanium aluminide, titanium silicide, and ternary alloys (AlxTiy, TixSiy, and TixAly,Siz), whereas W was embedded in the Al-Ti matrix as a single phase. The phase composition and grain size distribution were investigated using electron backscatter diffraction analysis, in which refined and uniform microstructures (less than 0.3 μm) were attributed to severe plastic deformation and rapid densification of the pre-alloyed powders. The mechanical properties were correlated with the Al content in the quaternary alloys; a high hardness of 1014.6 ±73.5 kg/mm2 was observed.