Interface interaction in the B4C/(Fe–B–C) system

The wetting behavior in the B₄C/(Fe–C–B) system was investigated in order to clarify the role of Fe additions on the sinterability of B₄C. Iron and its alloys with C and B react with the boron carbide substrate and form a reaction zone consisting of a fine mixture of FeB and graphite. The apparent contact angles are relatively low for the alloys with a moderate concentration of the boron and carbon and allow liquid phase sintering to occur in the B₄C–Fe mixtures. A dilatometric study of the sintering kinetics confirms that liquid phase sintering actually takes place and leads to improved mass transfer. A thermodynamic analysis of the ternary Fe–B–C system allows accounting for the experimental observations.