Titanium Carbide Nanofibers-Reinforced Aluminum Compacts, a New Strategy to Enhance Mechanical Properties.

Khalil Khalil,A Nabawy,Hany Abdo,Wagih Marzouk,Hamad Alharbi,El-Sayed Sherif

doi:10.3390/ma9050399

Abstract

TiC nanofibers reinforced Al matrix composites were produced by High Frequency Induction Heat Sintering (HFIHS).The titanium carbide nanofibers with an average diameter of 90 nm are first prepared by electrospinning technique and high temperature calcination process. A composite solution containing polyacrylonitrile and titanium isopropoxide is first electrospun into the nanofibers, which are subsequently stabilized and then calcined to produce the desired TiC nanofibers. The X-ray diffraction pattern and transmission electron microscopy results show that the main phase of the as-synthesized nanofibers is titanium carbide. The TiC nanofibers is then mixed with the aluminum powders and introduced into high frequency induction heat sintering (HFIHS) to produce composites of TiC nanofibers reinforced aluminum matrix. The potential application of the TiC nanofibers reinforced aluminum matrix composites was systematically investigated. 99.5% relative density and around 85 HV (833 MPa) Vickers hardness of the Al reinforced with 5 wt % TiC nanofiber has been obtained. Furthermore, the sample of Al contains 5 wt % TiC, has the highest value of compression and yield strength of about 415 and 350 MPa, respectively. The ductility of the Al/5 wt % TiC showed increasing with increasing the TiC contents.

Highlights

The past few decades have seen the extensive development of discontinuously reinforced metal matrix composites (MMCs) because of their good mechanical properties, formability, low costs and adaptable processing methods [1]
Aluminum based MMCs have been widely used in the automobile, aerospace and marine sectors due to their increased stiffness, wear resistance when compared to unreinforced alloys [2,3]
energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis provides direct evidence that Ti ions embedded in the PAN

Summary

Introduction

The past few decades have seen the extensive development of discontinuously reinforced metal matrix composites (MMCs) because of their good mechanical properties, formability, low costs and adaptable processing methods [1]. The high surface-to-volume ratio of nanofibers significantly improves the stiffness and mechanical strength of the composites compared to conventional fibers due to the increased interaction between the fibers and the matrix. Another positive aspect is that the composites are able to maintain their optical transparency related to the small cross-section of the nanofibers. In this regard, electrospinning is a technique that involves the production of continuous nanoscale to microscale sized fibers (as thin as 5 nm) from a variety of materials including polymers, composites and ceramics through the application of an electric field to a droplet of polymer solution passed through a spinneret tip. Organometallic Ti compounds are selected here because they can be used as precursors of TiC [17]

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