Influence of TiO2 amount on the interfacial wettability and relevant properties of vitrified bond CBN composites

The influence of TiO₂ amount on the microstructure and relevant properties of SiO₂-Al₂O₃-B₂O₃-Na₂O-Li₂O-BaO vitrified bond and vitrified bond CBN composites were systematically studied via SEM, EDS, FTIR, and XPS. Results indicated that adding TiO₂ could regulate the quantity of β-quartz solid solution and rutile crystals in the vitrified bond and considerably affect the thermal properties and mechanical strength of this bond. Under sintering temperature, the dense B₂O₃ oxide layer on the CBN surface diffused into vitrified bond and reacted with Ti⁴⁺ enriched at the interface to form a strong chemical Ti-B bond. This reaction extensively improved the interfacial wettability between the CBN and the vitrified bond. When the TiO₂ amount was 6wt.%, the interfacial wettability significantly improved, and the wetting angle decreased from 68° to 43°. The flexure strength and hardness of the composites were 116.18 MPa and 128 HRB, which were 48.49% and 34.74% higher than those of the basic-formula composites, respectively.