Abstract
The aim of this paper focuses on presenting a recent study that describes the fundamental steps needed to effectively scale-up from lab to mass production parts produced from Al powders reinforced with 0.5 wt% of industrial multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), with mechanical and electrical conductivity properties higher that those measured at the lab scale. The produced material samples were produced via a Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) process using nanocomposite aluminum powders elaborated with a planetary ball-mill at the lab scale, and high-volume attrition milling equipment in combination with controlled atmosphere sinter hardening furnace equipment, which were used to consolidate the material at the industrial level. Surprisingly, the electrical conductivity and mechanical properties of the samples produced with the reinforced nanocomposite Al powders were made with mass production equipment and were similar or higher than those samples fabricated using metallic powders prepared with ball-mill lab equipment. Experimental measurements show that the hardness and the electrical conductivity properties of the samples fabricated with the mass production Al powders are 48% and 7.5% higher than those of the produced lab samples. This paper elucidates the steps that one needs to follow during the mass production process of reinforced aluminum powders to improve the physical properties of metallic samples consolidated via the SPS process.
Highlights
In the few last years, there has been an exhaustive effort to developed advanced composite metallic materials with improved mechanical, electrical, tribology, and thermal properties, that monolithic materials cannot provide per se
The mechanical and electrical properties showed an enhancement in their performances, which suggests that the multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) located at the surroundings of the Al grains, as well as their homogenous dispersion, were of relevance to create an effective reinforcement in the metal matrix [2,3]
The strategy implemented focuses on reproducing the first experimental results obtained in the lab scale environment and by translating the process to the industrial scale and ensuring the desirable mechanical and physical properties to produce parts that fulfill with industry requirements and regulations
Summary
In the few last years, there has been an exhaustive effort to developed advanced composite metallic materials with improved mechanical, electrical, tribology, and thermal properties, that monolithic materials cannot provide per se. The addition of two of more materials need to be combined in order to achieve improved properties. In this sense, several studies have proved that aluminum matrix material reinforced with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can have a better thermal, electrical, and mechanical performance when compared to other metallic materials [1,2,3]. One of the main challenges of developing composite materials consists of translating the lab experimental observations of functional prototypes to an industrial large-scale production process considering cost-effective manufacturing technologies [4,5] and solving several difficulties associated with the dispersion, degradation, and interface strength between the Al matrix and the added reinforcements that could reduce the composite physical and thermal properties [6].
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