Compressive quasistatic and dynamic behavior of SiC/ZrO2 aluminum-based nanocomposite

Abstract

This research investigated the mechanical properties of aluminum-based nanocomposite. The spark plasma sintering method was adopted to fabricate the samples. The nanoparticles and the base metal powder were mechanically mixed in four volumetric ratios under an argon-gas-neutral atmosphere using a planetary ball milling machine. The dynamic and static compressive behaviors of the samples were studied under three different loading rates, and the microhardness of the specimens was measured. Results revealed significant improvements in microhardness, quasistatic, and the dynamic compressive strength, which can be attributed to several mechanisms, including the load transfer effect, Hall-Patch strengthening, Orowan strengthening, coefficient of thermal expansion, and elastic modulus mismatch effects. The most effective mixture was found to be 92 vol% of Al, 4 vol% of SiC, and 4 vol% of ZrO2. This combination of raw materials led to ultimate strengths of 204.517, 396.825, and 572.624 MPa at strain rates of 0.33, 13.33, and 2000 s−1, respectively.