Effect mechanism of mono-particles or hybrid-particles on the thermophysical characteristics and mechanical properties of Cu matrix composites

Abstract

The nature of ceramic particles plays a decisive role in the performance of the ceramic/metal composites. This work is designed to deeply analyze the effect of mono-particles and hybrid-particles on the thermal and mechanical characteristics of the composites by means of experiment and finite element analysis. The in-situ TiB2/Cu and (TiC + TiB2)/Cu composites were fabricated by reactive hot pressing in Cu–Ti–B and Cu–Ti–B4C reaction systems. The two kinds of composites have similar coefficient of thermal expansion, while the (TiC + TiB2)/Cu composite demonstrates higher thermal conductivity and better compression properties than the TiB2/Cu composite. Simulations suggest that the spherical TiC particles in the (TiC + TiB2)/Cu composite optimize the heat transfer path and improve the stress distribution and plastic deformation, which are the main reasons for the difference in composite properties. Besides, the TiB2/Cu composite demonstrates excellent wear resistance due to the pinning effect of the hexagonal columnar particles. This would help deepen the understanding of the strengthening mechanism of mono-particles or hybrid-particles ceramic reinforced metal matrix composites and have a significant guiding role in the microstructure design and synergy optimization of composite.