Al-TiC Composites Research Articles

Microstructure and tribological behavior of Al–TiC composite strips fabricated by a multi-step densification method

This study aims to enhance the tribological properties of automotive applications by examining the effects of TiC content on the microstructure, mechanical properties, and wear behavior. This study investigates the production of Al–TiC composite strips using a novel multi-step densification process combining mechanical alloying and hot rolling with TiC concentrations ranging from 0 to 12 vol%. The novelty of this work lies in its comprehensive approach to developing and analyzing Al–TiC composite strips using a multistep densification method. This study integrates microstructural analysis, mechanical property evaluation, and detailed tribological behavior assessment under different wear loads (5–25 N). A key innovation is the application of the Abbott Firestone method to analyze worn surfaces, providing insights into optimal wear conditions. The study reveals that increasing the TiC content to 12 vol% significantly improves densification, hardness (up to 268.8% increase), and wear resistance (up to 95% improvement at a 5N load). Dry ball-on-flat sliding wear tests at loads of 5–25N demonstrate that TiC particles hindered complete delamination wear in the composite strips. The Abbott Firestone method analysis of worn surfaces indicated an optimal exploitation zone in the Al-6 vol% TiC composite at both low and high wear loads. This comprehensive approach provides valuable insights into optimizing Al–TiC composites for enhanced performance in automotive components that require improved wear resistance.

Experimental investigation and numerical modeling of mechanically alloyed Al-TiC composites

The present work studies the mechanical alloying, consolidation, evaluation, modeling, and optimization of the Al-TiC composites mixed at different milling times (MTs) of 6, 12, 24, and 48 h and reinforced with three TiC concentrations (3, 6, and 12 vol.%). The Al-TiC composites formed via the powder metallurgy method. The XRD of the mixed powder and the consolidated composites were investigated. Furthermore, density, wear, compressive strength, and hardness have been examined for the consolidated composites. Also, the worn surface of the wear-tested composites was studied utilizing SEM analysis. The response surface methodology (RSM) was involved to clarify the effects of mechanical alloying parameters of MTs and the TiC concentrations and their interaction towards achieving their optimum process factors to produce Al-TiC composites. The RSM results prove the applied factors’ importance in improving the consolidated composites’ properties. The optimization results show the optimum parameters to produce Al-TiC composites are 28.4 MTs and 12 vol.% TiC to produce Al-TiC composites with 304.4 ± 3 MPa compressive strength, 191.21 ± 2 HV hardness, 2.88 ± 0.008 g/cm3 density, and 9.7 ± 0.01 mg weight loss. The ANOVA analysis reveals that the suggested models can virtually expect the tested responses of density, hardness, compressive strength, and weight loss with a confidence level of over 90, 98, 95, and 95%, respectively.

Fabrication of Al-TiC Composites by Three-Step Powder Metallurgy: Microstructure and Mechanical Properties

Owing to improving the mechanical properties, titanium carbide (TiC) strengthened Al-TiC composites were fabricated by three-step powder metallurgy (PM). A dense microstructure was obtained because of the small size TiC, which fills the inter-particle space. The porosity of Al-TiC composites was decreased from 5.16 to 1.52% due to the inclusion of TiC powder. The mechanical properties of Al-TiC composites improved because of effective necking of matrix (i.e., Al and TiC) particles. The Al-TiC30 composite exhibits enhanced mechanical properties (i.e., yield strength: 176.28 MPa, compressive strength: 301.57 MPa and hardness: 38.8 HRC) than the mechanical properties of unalloyed Al. The enhanced physical and mechanical properties of Al-TiC composites made them promising for automobile and aerospace applications.

Multi-Objective Optimization of Dry Sliding Wear Parameters of Aluminium Matrix Composites (AA7068/TiC) using Grey Relational Analysis

Metal matrix composites are supplanting conventional materials due to their prevalent properties like high strength of weight ratio, high specific stiffness, high fracture toughness, high thermal stability and wear resistance etc. In this investigation, Al-TiC composites consist of TiC particles of an average size 4μm whose wt% of reinforcement varied from 2 to 10 wt% in steps of 2 wt%, composites have been prepared using the stir casting technique. Dry-sliding wear experiments have been performed on pin-on-disc apparatus according to Taguchi’s L25 in the design of experiments. The parameters considered are wt% of TiC, rotational speed (Nr), load (P) and sliding velocity (Vs). Optimum combinations of parameters have been identified based on grey relational grade (GRG) to solve the wear response of AA7068/TiC MMCs. Also, analysis of variance (ANOVA) is applied to recognize the main factors affecting the wear response. Confirmation experiments with optimum conditions show that the results were nearer to the anticipated outcomes.

Experimental Investigation and Numerical Modeling of Mechanically Alloyed Al-TiC Composites

Experimental Investigation and Numerical Modeling of Mechanically Alloyed Al-TiC Composites

A Study of the Microstructure, Texture and Tensile Properties of 1060/Al-TiC/1060 Sandwich Composites Prepared by Hot-Roll Bonding

Microstructure and texture development in Al/AMCs sandwich composites and the connection between the tensile properties and microstructure/texture have not been fully understood. In this study, the AA 1060 aluminum alloy and spark plasma sintering (SPS) processed Al-TiC composite were prepared into the 1060/Al-TiC/1060 sandwich composites by hot-roll bonding (HRB). The influence of rolling reduction on the microstructure, texture and tensile properties was studied. An inhomogeneity of microstructure through the thickness of Al layer was observed after the HRB process. The grains at the surface Al layer were tilted to 19 deg with respect to the rolling direction after 34.8 pct reduction, and the tilted grains were developed to a deeper region with increasing rolling reduction. The degree of grain-subdivision and number of high-angle boundaries decreased as the observed area moved from the surface to the interface. The cube texture at the surface of the Al layer transformed into the rotated-cube shear texture during HRB process. The strength of the rotated-cube texture at the interface layer was lower than at the surface layer. The initial random texture in the Al-TiC layer was changed to the α-fiber and β-fiber rolling textures after the HRB process. The yield strength and ultimate tensile strength of the sandwich composites increased with increasing rolling reduction, and the sandwich composites showed a high elongation with 43.0 pct reduction.

Influence of Reinforcement of TiC Particles on Wear Behaviour of Al7075/TiC Composite Material

TiC particles are reinforced with Al 7075 to develop metal matrix composite. Special purpose die is fabricated for centrifugal casting machine for the preparation of composite material. The tribological properties such as wear rate and coefficient of friction are determined by using pin on disc wear testing machine. Weight percentage of TiC, applied load, sliding distance are considered as parameters for the wear test. The results show that the wear resistance of the developed composite increases with increase of TiC percentage. Wear rate of Al-TiC composite is observed to be reduced by 11%, 31% and 42% with increasing percentage of TiC by 2.5%, 5% and 7.5% respectively. SEM and EDS analysis are used for morphological study of the worn surfaces of composite. Keywords: Composites, Al-TiC, Wear, Coefficient of Friction (CoF), SEM

Preparation and characterization of aluminium-titanium carbide (Al-TiC) composite using powder metallurgy

The Aluminum (Al) metal has numerous applications all industries according to its strength to weight ratio. In the present work, three different volume fractions of Aluminium-Titanium carbide (TiC) metal matrix (Al-TiC) composites namely 100%-Al, 95%-Al & 5%-TiC and 90%-Al & 10%-TiC are formulated by sintering of mechanically alloyed powder (ball milling) in powder metallurgy processes to enhance the mechanical properties. The prepared Al–TiC composites are characterized by SEM and EDX and their microstructure reveals the uniform distribution of reinforced particles in metal matrix. Further, the Hardness of the composite experimentally investigated and the results reveal that the addition of TiC significantly enhances the hardness of the composite.

In Situ Al-TiC Composites Fabricated by Self-propagating High-Temperature Reaction: Insights on Reaction Pathways and Their Microstructural Signatures

In this study, we have analyzed the formation mechanisms and processing-microstructure relationships for Al/TiC metal matrix nanocomposites produced in situ via thermite-assisted (e.g., CuO) self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS). Al/TiC composites were created by reacting Al-Ti-C-CuO pellets in an Al melt using a wide variety of processing conditions (e.g., precursor powder amounts, bulk melt temperature, precursor powder size, pellet packing method). As-cast composites were visualized using both 2D (SEM) and 3D (TXM) microscopy techniques, to study TiC particle and secondary precipitate (e.g., Al3Ti) characteristics at the nanoscale. SHS-produced samples reveal complex microstructures consisting of individual and clustered TiC particles, elongated Al3Ti intermetallics, and C-rich regions surrounded by TiC. Based on a thermodynamic analysis and our microstructural observations, we propose three dominant TiC formation pathways, each resulting in a distinct microstructural signature. Finally, we utilize multivariate statistics (canonical correlations) on the full breadth of imaging data to infer the dominant processing variables (i.e., amount of CuO and C) that most strongly influence TiC particle characteristics and the final composite microstructure. We also discuss how the dominant processing variables relate to the proposed formation pathways and how they may inform the rational design of future composites produced via thermite-assisted SHS.

Study on tribological properties of Al-TiC composites by Taguchi method

The tribological behaviour of Aluminium metal matrix composite studied by adding TiC particles. Centrifugal casting method was used for the preparation of composite specimens. The samples were prepared with varying the weight percentage of TiC particles such as 2.5%, 5% and 7.5%. The Taguchi technique was used for preparation of design of experiments by considering weight percentage, load and sliding distance as control parameters. The specific wear rate and coefficient of friction is determined with the help of Ducom made pin on disc machine. The ANOVA is applied to predict the effect of each factor over specific wear rate and coefficient of friction. The results show that the weight percentage of TiC reinforcement has significant effect on specific wear rate as well as coefficient of friction. The wear resistance of composite material is increased with increase in TiC reinforcement. The mathematical model through regression is predicted for specific wear rate and coefficient of friction.

Two-Body Abrasive Wear Behaviour of In-Situ Al-TiC Particle Composites: Influence of TiC Reinforcement and Content in the Alloy Matrix and Experimental Parameters

This study pertains to observations made on the abrasive wear response of Al-TiC composites under varying applied load and traversal distance conditions. The influence of TiC particle reinforcement and its content in the matrix on the abrasion characteristics of the samples was investigated. The composites were prepared by generating the reinforcement phase (TiC particles) from within the matrix employing a hybrid in-situ technique consisting of a combination of steps involved in powder and liquid metallurgy routes of synthesizing metal matrix composites. The unreinforced matrix alloy (AA2014) was also tested under identical experimental conditions for comparison purposes. Properties characterized were wear rate, frictional heating and friction coefficient. Microstructural features of the samples and characteristics of wear surfaces, subsurface regions and abrasive medium have also been examined.
 
 The TiC reinforcement led to improved abrasion resistance (inverse of wear rate), the degree of improvement increasing further with the rising concentration of the TiC particles in the alloy matrix. Increasing applied load led to deterioration in the wear behaviour of the samples while a reverse trend was followed as the traversal distance was raised. The severity of frictional heating was noted to increase with load. On the contrary, friction coefficient tended to decrease with increasing load except for the composite containing the highest concentration of TiC wherein a reverse trend was noticed. Both frictional heating and friction coefficient increased sharply with traversal distance initially. This was followed by a reduction in the rate of temperature increase at longer traversal distances whereas friction coefficient was observed to attain steady state condition after showing a decrease in some cases. The presence of TiC reinforcement in the alloy matrix and its increasing content led to a decrease in the friction coefficient and the severity of frictional heating. The observed wear behaviour has been substantiated through the characteristics of abraded surfaces and subsurface regions of the samples and degradation of the abrasive medium. Operating material removal mechanisms have also been examined.

First-principles calculations on the interface of the Al/TiC aluminum matrix composites

The Al-TiC composites with different TiC contents were synthesized by spark plasma sintering. The microstructure and tensile properties were investigated by the experimental tests. In order to theoretically clarify the properties of interface between the matrix and particles, the atomic structure, ideal work of adhesion (Wad) and electronic structure of Al/TiC interface were calculated by first-principles method based on the interfacial relationship between Al and TiC. For the crystal structures of Al(1 2 1)/TiC(1 1 1) interface, the Wad value of C-terminated Al(1 2 1)/TiC(1 1 1) interfaces were much larger than the Wad value of Ti-terminated Al(1 2 1)/TiC(1 1 1) interfaces. The charge density difference, Bader charges and density of state (DOS) analyses of Al(1 2 1)/TiC(1 1 1) interface suggested that the interfacial bonding was mainly attributed to the Al-C ionic bonding and covalent bonding, as well as the Al-Ti metallic bonding. The Al-C ionic bonding and covalent bonding was stronger than the Al-Ti metallic bonding.

Effect of TiC content on the microstructure, texture and mechanical properties of 1060/Al–TiC/1060 laminated composites

The Al–TiC composites with different TiC contents were fabricated by spark plasma sintering, and then fabricated into the 1060/Al–TiC/1060 laminated composites by hot-roll bonding. The effect of TiC content on the microstructure, texture and mechanical properties of the sandwich laminated composites was studied. The results showed that the development of microstructure and texture through the thickness of 1060 layer was inhomogeneous. The degree of grain-subdivision and the number of high-angle boundaries decreased from the surface to the interface. The strength of the r-cube component decreased from the surface to the interface, whereas the strengths of the cube and β-fiber components increased. The textures in Al–TiC layer were characterized by the Goss orientation and the β-fiber component after hot-roll bonding. The strengths of the Goss and β-fiber components decreased with increasing TiC content. The tensile strength of the laminated composites increased to a maximum value with increasing TiC content to 0.5 vol% and then decreased, while the elongation decreased.

The Effect of Rapid Microwave Sintering Process on the Electrical Conductivity, Thermal Conductivity and Mechanical Properties of Al-TiC Composites

In this research, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity and mechanical properties of the Al-TiC composites which were sintered via microwave-assisted process were investigated. The specimens were sintered for 3, 5 and 8 minutes. The results have shown that the sample which contains 4 vol. % TiC and was sintered for 8 minutes, has the highest electrical and thermal conductivities among the other obtained ones. Besides that, the sample which contains 8 vol. % TiC and was sintered for 3 minutes, has dedicated the highest hardness and density to itself. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs have illustrated that by increasing the amount of TiC up to 12 vol. %, the agglomeration of particles occurs. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) investigations have shown that due to the short duration of the sintering process in the microwave method, there is no trace of TiO2 and Al4C3 as pernicious phases. According to the obtained results, it becomes clear that increasing the amount of TiC powder leads to the reduction of electrical and thermal properties of the samples and increasing the sintering duration, leads to the increase of the mentioned properties.

English

English

Effect of Processing and Nano scale Reinforcement on the cold forming of Al-TiC Composites

Effect of Processing and Nano scale Reinforcement on the cold forming of Al-TiC Composites

Synthesis of Aluminum-Titanium Carbide Micro and Nanocomposites by the Rotating Impeller In-Situ Gas–Liquid Reaction Method

The Rotating Impeller In-Situ Gas–Liquid Reaction Method is employed for the production of Al-TiC composites. The method relies on injecting a carbon-bearing gas by means of a rotating impeller into a specially formulated molten aluminum-titanium alloy. Under the optimal conditions of temperature and composition, the gas reacts preferentially with titanium to form titanium carbide particles. The design of the apparatus, the process operation window, and the routes for forming titanium carbide particles with different sizes are elucidated.

Effect of Titanium Carbide Particles on Mechanical Properties of Aluminum Matrix Composites

In this research aluminum matrix composites (AMCs) was reinforced by titanium carbide (TiC) particles and was produced. Powder metallurgy technique (PM) has been used to fabricate AMCs reinforced with various amounts (0%, 4%, 8%, 12%, 16% and 20% volume fraction) of TiC particles to study the effect of different volume fractions on mechanical properties of the Al-TiC composites. Measurements of compression strength and hardness showed that mechanical properties of composites increased with an increase in volume fraction of TiC Particles. Al-20 % vol. TiC composites exhibited the best properties with hardness value (97HRB) and compression strength value (275Mpa).

Dependency of annealing behaviour on grain size in Al–TiC composite produced by accumulative roll bonding

This work investigates the effect of grain size on annealing behaviour in both coarse-grained and ultrafine-grained Al–TiC composite processed by accumulative roll bonding (ARB). Microstructural analysis indicates that annealing behaviour of the specimens are essentially determined by the level of strain accumulation or number of ARB cycles, i.e., recrystallization phenomenon are accelerated by increasing the level of strain accumulation or number of ARB cycles. Microstructure analysis illustrates that annealing treatment at 200 or \(250{^{\circ }}\hbox {C}\) for the 1-cycle ARB-processed Al–TiC composite having coarse grains does not lead to the recrystallization phenomenon, indicating that only recovery appears. In contrast, partial recrystallization occurred after annealing at \(250{^{\circ }}\hbox {C}\) in the 7-cycle ARB-processed Al–TiC composite having ultrafine grains. Furthermore, annealing treatment significantly enhanced elongation for both ultrafine as well as coarse-grained Al–TiC composites in spite of the fact that yield and ultimate strength decreased during annealing treatment. The results proved that yield strength and tensile strengths for both 1-cycle and 7-cycle ARB-processed Al–TiC composites gradually decreased by annealing treatments between 200 and \(300{^{\circ }}\hbox {C}\). In contrast, ultimate elongation drastically improved by about 100% after annealing at the aforementioned conditions.

An Experimental Investigation of Effects of Fluxes (Na3AlF6 and K2TiF6), Element Alloys (Mg), and Composite Powders ((Al + TiC)CP and (Al + B4C)CP) on Distribution of Particles and Phases in Al-B4C and Al-TiC Composites

The wettability, incorporation, and gravity segregation of TiC and B4C particles into molten aluminum are important problems in the production of Al-TiC and Al-B4C composites by the casting techniques. In order to solve these problems, different methods consisting of adding the Na3AlF6 and K2TiF6 fluxes and Mg (as the alloying element) into the molten aluminum and injection of the (Al + TiC)CP and (Al + B4C)CP composite powders instead of B4C and TiC particles are evaluated. In this work, the conditions of sample preparation, such as particle addition temperature, stirring speed, and stirring time, are determined after many studies and tests. Microstructural characterizations of samples are investigated by scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffractometry. The results show better distribution and incorporation of TiCp and B4Cp in aluminum matrix when the fluxes are used, as well as EDS analysis of the interface between the matrix and reinforcement-strengthened formation of the different phases such as Al4C3 in the Al-TiC composites and Al3BC, TiB2 in the Al-B4C composites.