Electric treatment of alumina composite materials

Abstract

A method of processing alumina composite materials using electric current is presented. Aluminum matrix composites based on aluminum alloy AK12 were obtained in a pass-through vessel with the addition of composite particles to the stream of molten material without the influence of an electric current and with the influence of a current. As a composite additive, graphite enriched with crystalline grade TG-1 and particles of titanium carbide (TiC) were used, the amount of the components being injected was 15 volume percent.Measurements of the mechanical properties of the original AK12 alloy and composite material based on the AK12 alloy with the addition of composite particles carried out without an electric field and with exposure showed that the greatest increase in strength properties of alloys treated with an electric field was recorded for an aluminum matrix composite material with TiC particles, which amounted to 20% for ultimate strength and 24.5% for hardness. An increase in ductility was found in a composite material with a TG-1 composite additive, for it an increase in the relative elongation was 15.6%, while the electric current treatment of the composite material with a filler in the form of TiC did not lead to a change in the relative elongation of the sample material. In general, the increase in the strength properties of an aluminum matrix composite material with titanium carbide particles (TiC), after it was treated with an electric current, turned out to be slightly larger than that of an aluminum matrix composite material with particles of TG-1 enriched crystalline graphite. The physical mechanism of the influence of electric current on the properties of ALCM is given.