Mechanical properties of beryllium-titanium intermetallic compounds fabricated by plasma sintering

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the mechanical properties of beryllide (Be12Ti) fabricated by a plasma sintering method to provide important properties data for the material database for DEMO design. Single-phase Be12Ti powders were successfully fabricated by the homogenization treatment. Plasma sintering was performed using the homogenized powders at various temperatures to investigate the effect of sintering temperature on the density and microhardness of Be12Ti. The sintering density of Be12Ti increased with an increase in sintering temperature from 900 to 1000 °C and then saturated above 1000 °C. The sintering density was almost equal to the theoretical density. The variation in Vickers microhardness as a function of temperature was similar to that of sintering density. The fracture toughness values of Be12Ti calculated using Anstis, Evans and Charles, Tanakaequations, and Japanese industrial standards (JIS) R1607 criteria were approximately 2.16, 2.07, 2.00, and 2.43 MPa·m0.5, respectively.