Paper Title
Effect of Phase Composition on Mechanical Properties of Max Phase

Abstract
MAX phase is the family of ternary carbides and nitrides with general chemical formula of Mn+1AXn (where M is an early transition metal, A is an element of subgroup IIIA or IV A, and X is carbon and/or nitrogen) [1]. These materials have a unique combination of metal and ceramic like properties that make them attractive for different applications. In this work, we reported the results of obtaining of almost pure Ti2AlC and Ti3AlC2 phases with nanolaminated structure by combining combustion synthesis with shear deformation of combustion products. Ti, Al and C powders with a different molar ratio were used to investigate the formation of Ti2AlC and Ti3AlC2. Initial metallic powders were mixed homogeneously by ball milling. The mixture was sintered by Self-Propagation High-Temperature Synthesis at various technological parameters (dwell time, compacting pressure, deformation velocity, and temperature). The results showed that the Al and C contents in the starting materials and sintering parameters had significant effects on the synthesis and purity of Ti2AlC and Ti3AlC2. Phase contents and lattice parameters, deduced from Rietveld refinement analysis of XRD patterns for fabricated samples were calculated. The results show that depending on the molar ratio of the initial components, the reaction products can be represented by pure Ti2AlC or Ti3AlC2, or their mixture. TiC and intermetallic compounds TixAly also present in samples. Under the load of 3 N, the Vickers microhardness and Young's modulus of fabricated materials is measured to be 5.87-7.08 GPa and 130.0-215.0 GPa, respectively. These values are in dependence of component ratio and phase composition. It can be concluded that almost pure Ti3AlC2 and Ti2AlC could be prepared by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis of elemental Ti, Al and C powders by varying the ratio of materials and synthesis parameters.