Ramasis Goswami¹, Alex Moser¹; ¹Naval Research Laboratory

B4C is the lightest among armor grade ceramic materials, with the highest compressive strength. In defense applications, there is significant interest in lightening vehicle and personnel loads by replacing current armor with lighter materials such as B4C. Considerable efforts have been made to make composite materials to enhance the specific strength of metals and alloys by adding B4C particles. It was realized the ceramic/metal interface plays a vital role in enhancing the strength of the composite materials. Using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), we investigate different ceramic/metal interfaces, such Al/B4C, Ni/B4C and Fe/B4C, processed in the solid state at relatively high pressure. We demonstrate the interface cohesion and mechanical properties have been significantly improved as a result of the formation of metal boride at the interface. This provides a new avenue toward the development of a composite materials containing B4C.