Abstract
CNT-AlSi10Mg composites fabricated by SLM have drawn a lot attention in structural application due to its excellent strength, elasticity and thermal conductivities. A planetary ball milling method was used to prepare the carbon nanotube (CNT)-AlSi10Mg powders, and the CNT-AlSi10Mg composites were fabricated by selective laser melting (SLM). The density, microstructure and mechanical properties of CNT-AlSi10Mg composites were studied. The density of the test samples increased at first and then decreased with increasing scan speed. When the laser scan speed was 800 mm/s, the test sample exhibited the highest density. The hardness increased by approximately 26%, and the tensile strength increased by approximately 13% compared to those values exhibited by the unreinforced AlSi10Mg. The grains of CNT-AlSi10Mg composite are finer than that in the AlSi10Mg. The CNTs were distributed along the grain boundaries of AlSi10Mg. Some of the CNTs reacted with Al element and transformed into Al4C3 during SLM, while some of the CNTs still maintained their tubular structure. The combination of CNTs and Al4C3 has a significant improvement in mechanical properties of the composites through fine grain strengthening, second phase strengthening, and load transfer strengthening.
Highlights
Metal matrix composites (MMCs) are composed of two or more materials and customized performance can be obtained
Particle-reinforced MMCs have attracted plenty of attentions due to their excellent mechanical properties [1]. Among those MMCs produced in recent years, aluminum matrix composites (AMCs) have received much attention
Li et al [23] investigated the mechanical properties of nano-TiB2 decorated AlSi10Mg (NTD-Al) composites fabricated by selective laser melting (SLM), and the results showed a high tensile strength of 530 MPa, excellent ductility of
Summary
Metal matrix composites (MMCs) are composed of two or more materials and customized performance can be obtained. Particle-reinforced MMCs have attracted plenty of attentions due to their excellent mechanical properties [1] Among those MMCs produced in recent years, aluminum matrix composites (AMCs) have received much attention. Because of its rapid prototyping ability, SLM is widely used in the production of various metals and alloys [11,12,13,14] It has the following advantages: capable of producing complexshaped three-dimensional parts [15], reducing manufactured time and cost [16], flexible alloy design [17], and superior mechanical properties [18]. There was a lot of studies on the use of SLM to manufacture MMCs, compared with other conventional processing methods, the properties of the MMCs have been greatly improved. The microstructure and mechanical properties of CNT-AlSi10Mg composites were studied
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