Reinforced Aluminum Metal Matrix Composites Research Articles

Abrasive wear behavior of SiC particulate reinforced AA5052 metal matrix composite

In the present work particulate reinforced aluminium metal matrix composites were developed by stir casting processing route in which AA5052 was reinforced with 5 wt% SiC-p of 63 µm particles size. The abrasive wear behavior of SiC-p reinforced AA5052 MMC was investigated and compared with that of unreinforced AA5052. The worn surfaces were analysed by optical microscopy. The results show that at all applied loading conditions, SiC-p reinforced AA5052 MMC gives improved tribological properties as compared to the unreinforced AA5052; but the addition of SiC-p increases the density of the AA5052.

A review on turning analysis of industrial waste reinforced aluminum metal matrix composite

Over the years many authors research on Aluminum Metal Matrix Composites reinforced with various chemical particulates. Now a day's researchers found industrial waste as reinforcement which reduces the industrialized expenditure of products as well as reduces the pollution of the environment. This also increases the properties of material. Due to this, day by day the application of industrial waste reinforced, Aluminum based Metal Matrix Composites increasing. In this review paper, the industrial waste like fly ash, red mud, cenospheres ash are considered as reinforcement. Many researchers have cited the effect of industrial waste on Mechanical and tribological analysis of metal matrix composite based on Aluminum alloy. But very few researchers have worked on Machinability analysis of industrial waste reinforced metal matrix composite. Therefore, this paper represents a brief literature review on the machinability analysis of industrial waste reinforced metal matrix composite. In this survey the impact of machining parameters on surface roughness, cutting tool life, tool wear, power consumption are investigated. From the literature it is found that due to an increase in cutting speed and feed there is a decrease in surface roughness and the tool life decreases due to an increase in weight % of reinforcement. But power consumption increments because of increment in cutting rate and feed rate. In this survey it is also noticed that Aluminum Metal Matrix Composites reinforced with industrial waste applicable automotive, aerospace, and construction industries.

Synthesis and mechanical characterization of biomass fly ash strengthened aluminium matrix composites

Matrix Composites (MMCs) and Metal Matrix Hybrid Composites (MMHCs) have transpired as leading materials. Keeping in view, the high specific strength and stiffness, superior wear and seizure resistance that these MMCs possess, they find application in automotive, aircraft and other engineering industries. The traditional reinforcement materials in Aluminium alloy improve the mechanical and wear properties but a high cost of creation is linked with them. Thus, agro wastes are a great alternative that can be contemplated for utilizing as the reinforcement. In this present work, the investigation of mechanical characteristics of biomass fly ash reinforced aluminium metal matrix composite has been performed. Biomass fly ash with different proportion (1%, 3%, 5%, and 7%) has been reinforced in the Aluminium alloy. Composites were synthesised via stir casting method. metallography, hardness, tensile and fracture toughness tests have been conducted to get a closer look on the properties of resulting composites. The results showed that an increase in the biomass fly ash content in the melted leads results in an increase in the, microhardness but decrease in tensile strength and impact strength.

A Hybrid Approach for Modeling Machining Performance of Aluminum Metal Matrix Composites Reinforced with Industrial Waste Materials

This current study is intended to examine the machining behaviour of red mud reinforced aluminum metal matrix composites with different parameters specifically, cutting speed, feed, depth of cut and nose radius. A two hybrid networks model is developed to envisage the performance of machining parameters. Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model is developed by with machining parameters and combined by captured vibration and power signals throughout machining operation. Grey relational grade which is obtained from vibration and power signals is used with the primary machining parameters to construct the hybrid network model. A newly developed grey based neural network (hybrid) model is found to offer better prediction on output responses compared to the neural network model. The predicted result obtained from the based neural network model is good agreement with investigational results.

TAGUCHI METHOD PARAMETRIC OPTIMIZATION OF SURFACE ROUGHNESS AND MRR ON HPMMC IN CNC TURNING PHASE

In the machining phase, graphite in ceramic reinforced aluminum metal matrix composites improves machining efficiency. As a result of the forming of the tribological sheet, standard machining performance may increase. They need the most precise machining operations in the manufacturing fields, which result in the production of high-quality goods under ideal conditions. Composites' uses in engineering are increasingly expanding due to their unique properties, and these composites need the most detailed machining operations due to their manufacturing costs and applications. The fabrication of the hybrid particulate aluminum metal matrix composite (HPMC) in the sand casting method, as well as the findings of an experimental analysis on the Machinability properties of hybrid particulate aluminum metal matrix composite (HPMC), are presented in this article (Al-SiCp-Gr). The impact of strengthened silicon carbide and graphite particle ratios of 10 and 15 weight percentages was investigated. On the resulting surface roughness and material removal rate of workpieces, control factors of the turning process such as speed, feed rate, and depth of cut were investigated. Using the Taguchi, ANOVA, and S/N ratio techniques, the performance values were evaluated and optimized. It was discovered that increasing graphite strengthening and adding SCP to the mix improved the MRR while maintaining a strong surface finish. The pace and feed speeds of the cutting method are primarily responsible for surface roughness. The pace and DOC of the cutting operation have a significant impact on the MRR.

Corrosion performances and thermal behavior of AA8011 reinforced with hybrid-nano ZrB2 + Si3N4 particulates for automobile applications

The utilization of the hybrid reinforced aluminium metal matrix composites has over the time emerged as the leading promising composite materials due to their excellent enhanced properties. The corrosion performance and thermal behavior of aluminium based composite reinforced by hybrid Nano ceramic particulates have been very essential in most structural applications. The corrosion rate, polarization resistance, cathodic protection, and anodic dissolution remain the essential corrosion properties while the variation of material mass gain or loss as a function of the temperature determine the thermal stability of the composite materials. In this work, the investigation of the corrosion behavior in the acidic environment has been achieved for high-grade AA8011-ZrB2 + Si3N4 composites under the ambient temperature condition, while the thermal response of the developed composites was examined in an inert nitrogen atmosphere with the heating rate ranging from 30 °C to 900 °C at 20 °C min−1. AA8011 reinforced ZrB2 + Si3N4 hybrid metal matrix composites were fabricated by liquid metallurgy technique. The corrosion features and thermal stability of the developed hybrid composites with varying percentage weight fraction of the Nanoceramic particulates have been examined. From the experiment, it was observed that the corrosion rate decreases with increase in the Nano reinforcement. The developed composites were stable under high temperature and the composite with 20% weight proportion of the Nanoparticulate was observed to be more thermally stable than the unreinforced alloy.

Influence of ceramic Al2O3 particulates on performance measures and surface characteristics during sinker EDM of stir cast AMMCs

PurposeAA2014 is a copper-based alloy and is typically used for production of complex machined components, given its better machinability. The purpose of this paper was to study the effects of variation in weight percentage of ceramic Al2O3 particulates during electrical discharge machining (EDM) of stir cast AA2014 composites. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) examination was carried out to study characteristics of EDMed surface of Al2O3/AA2014 composites.Design/methodology/approachThe effect of machining parameters on performance measures during sinker EDM of stir cast Al2O3/AA2014 composites was examined by “one factor at a time” (OFAT) method. The stir cast samples were obtained by using three levels of weight percentage of Al2O3 particulates, i.e. 0 Wt.%, 10 Wt.% and 20 Wt.% with density 1.87 g/cc, 2.35 g/cc and 2.98 g/cc respectively. Machining parameters varied were peak current (1-30 amp), discharge voltage (30-100 V), pulse on time (15-300 µs) and pulse off time (15-450 µs) to study their influence on material removal rate (MRR), tool wear rate (TWR) and surface roughness (SR).FindingsMRR and SR decreased with an increase in weight percentage of ceramic Al2O3 particulates at the expense of TWR. This was attributed to increased microhardness for reinforced stir cast composites. However, microhardness of EDMed samples at fixed values of machining parameters, i.e. 9 amp current, 60 V voltage, 90 µs pulse off time and 90 µs pulse on time reduced by 58.34, 52.25 and 46.85 per cent for stir cast AA2014, 10 Wt.% Al2O3/AA2014 and 20 Wt.% Al2O3/AA2014, respectively. SEM and quantitative energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis revealed ceramic Al2O3 particulate thermal spalling in 20 Wt.% Al2O3/AA2014 composite. This was because of increased particulate weight percentage leading to steep temperature gradients in between layers of base material and heat affected zone.Originality/valueThis work was an essential step to assess the machinability for material design of Al2O3 reinforced aluminium metal matrix composites (AMMCs). Experimental investigation on sinker EDM of high weight fraction of particulates in AA2014, i.e. 10 Wt.% Al2O3 and 20 Wt.% Al2O3, has not been reported in archival literature. The AMMCs were EDMed at variable peak currents, voltages, pulse on and pulse off times. The effects of process parameters on MRR, TWR and SR were analysed with comparisons made to show the effect of Al2O3 particulate contents.

Assessment of mechanical and tribological characteristics of Silicon Nitride reinforced aluminum metal matrix composites

The present paper focuses on the investigation of physical, mechanical and tribological characteristics of Al6063 alloy reinforced with Silicon Nitride powder. The Al6063-Silicon Nitride Metal Matrix Composites were fabricated by following stir casting method of liquid metallurgy technique. The amount of reinforcement incorporation in matrix material was from 0 to 10 wt% varied in intervals of 2. The obtained composites were used in the investigative studies related to physical, mechanical & tribological experimentations. The tests were performed on the Al6063 alloy and its composites as per in harmony with the ASTM Standards. The test results it can be observed and appreciated that increasing the reinforcement percentage, the characteristics like hardness and density increased monolithically and significantly. The dry sliding wear test is performed using pin on disc configuration tribometer and the results state that the composite has higher wear resistance. Basically the Al6063 is relatively soft and as per dry sliding wear concern at the applications of stringers, upper and lower wings of aircraft, floor breams, seat tracks, fuselage of an aircraft's, the wear resistance plays a crucial role in relative movement at contact surfaces, hence the present work focused on developing Al6063-Silicon Nitride Metal Matrix Composites with enhanced mechanical and tribological properties. Off all the compositions, the composite material having the highest percentage of reinforcement showed better properties. Scanning Electron Microscope, Energy Dispersive Microscopy images were used to study the fabricated composites before and after the wear morphology during wear test.

Effects of in-situ synthesized TiB2 on crystallographic orientation, grain size and nanohardness of AA6061 alloy by laser surface alloying

TiB2 reinforced aluminum metal matrix composites (MMCs) were in-situ synthesized by laser surface alloying (LSA). SEM, XRD and EBSD were used to investigate the effect of TiB2 particles on the microstructure characteristics, phase constitution and crystallographic orientation. The results indicated that TiB2 particles mainly exhibited hexagonal plate-like morphology and distributed at high angle grain boundaries (HAGBs). The average grain size of the composites decreased with increasing TiB2 content, and the crystallographic orientation changed from (0 0 1) orientation to (1 1 1) and (1 0 1) orientations. The composites exhibited enhanced nanohardness of 2.74 ± 0.08 GPa, which was about 9.5 times of the matrix. Dislocation strengthening (ΔσCTE) and dispersion strengthening (ΔσOrowan) played dominating role in strengthening mechanism.

Water-jet guided laser drilling of SiC reinforced aluminium metal matrix composites

Laser drilling of monolithic materials like metals and alloys is a well-established process and used extensively in a wide range of applications in many sectors including aerospace, medical and automotive. However, conventional laser drilling of materials like metal matrix composites is challenging due to the differences in the chemical and physical properties of the hard ceramic reinforcement particles and the soft-metal matrix. The water-jet guided laser process has the potential to machine advanced materials such as an aluminium metal matrix composite reinforced with silicon carbide particles (Al MMC), with exceptional quality. The main objective of this research is to understand the material removal mechanism associated with water-jet guided laser drilling of Al MMCs and compare this with conventional laser drilling of Al MMC. Experimental results showed that the water-jet guided laser process is an excellent technique for drilling holes in composite materials like metal matrix composites. During water-jet guided laser drilling of Al MMC, the material has been removed by cold ablation, without leaving any residual melt layer within the bulk material. Both soft-matrix and hard-particles are removed by the same process of cold ablation, which is completely different to the conventional laser drilling process in which the solid SiC are ejected without melting, along with the molten aluminium.

Characteristics of hole formation during laser drilling of SiC reinforced aluminium metal matrix composites

The objective of this research is to investigate the hole formation mechanism during millisecond pulsed laser drilling of aluminium metal matrix composites reinforced with silicon carbide particles (Al MMC). The main focus of this paper is to provide an insight into the fundamental principles that govern the millisecond laser drilling of Al MMC, including the laser-material interaction and the subsequent melt ejection, so as to achieve a high quality and high-speed drilling process. The experimental results demonstrate that the laser drilling mechanism of SiC particle reinforced MMCs are different from the mechanisms observed in laser drilling of non-reinforced metals and alloys. High-speed videos and finite element analysis based models were used to study the mechanism of material removal. The SiC particles within the MMC are not melted and are ejected undamaged, along with the molten low melting point matrix materials, which makes the drilling process more efficient and enables drilling with a lower laser power compared to monolithic materials.

Effects of SiC particle size on mechanical properties of SiC particle reinforced aluminum metal matrix composite

In this paper, effects of SiC particle size on the mechanical properties and the failure mechanisms of Al/SiC composites under compression with strain rates ranging from 0.001 to 5200 s−1 were investigated. Al/SiC composites consisting of 65 wt% SiC particles with the average size of 10 μm and 50 μm were studied respectively. The quasi-static (strain rate of 0.001s−1) and dynamic compression tests (strain rates of 2200s−1-5200s−1) were performed separately for both materials with different SiC particle size. And optical microscope (OM) was used to observe the failure characteristics of the reclaimed specimens. The results show that as the increasing strain rate, results in the improvement of yield strength of both composites. Moreover, the composites with the SiC particle size of 10 μm have a larger yield strength than that 50 μm one. The microstructure analyses reveal that separation of SiC particles from aluminum matrix and fragmentation of SiC particles are the main failure mechanisms of Al/SiC composites subjected to compressive loading. The adhesive force between the SiC particles and aluminum matrix has a significant effect on the compressive resistance of the composites. The Al/SiC composites with the small SiC particles size are superior to the larger one under compressive loading due to the more compact interface and larger tension for the movement of dislocations. The perforation test was carried out for the material with the SiC particle average size of 10 μm, and its anti-penetration performance is about 1.50 times higher than 10CrNiMo steel.

Synthesis of Aluminum- CNTs Composites Using Double-Pressing Double-Sintering Method (DPDS)

Metal matrix composite (MMC) is engineered combination of the metal (matrix) and hard particle (reinforcement) to get tailored properties. MMCs are either in use or prototyping for the space shuttle, commercial airliners, electronic substrates, automobiles, golf clubs, and a variety of other applications.In this study, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) reinforced aluminum MMCs were synthesized by DPDS for the first time. Planetary ball mill has been used to disperse of CNTs in Al matrix. The effects of the CNTs content and secondary pressing-sintering on properties of the nano-composites were investigated. Mechanical properties of aluminum metal matrix nano-composites samples were characterized using compression and micro-hardness measurements. Enhancements of about 52% in compressive strength and 64% in hardness were observed as compared to pure aluminum (matrix) fabricated under the similar condition by conventional sintering process. The morphology and phase analysis of composites have been studied by SEM, and XRD. This research work shows feasibility of manufacturing CNT reinforced metal composites by DPDS.

Influence of B4C Particles on Processing and Strengthening Mechanisms in Aluminum Metal Matrix Composites - a Review

Abstract This paper reviews different experimental and theoretical studies related to B4C reinforced aluminum metal matrix composites (MMC). Various processes like solid sintering, powder processing through ball milling, and also various thermo-mechanical processing like heat treatment, quenching are discussed. The effects on the particle size of boron carbide (B4C) reinforcement on morphology evolution and microstructure are thoroughly studied. The strengthening mechanisms of B4C reinforced Al-MMC are thoroughly reviewed and the interfacial structure in between B4C and matrix material are discussed.

Evaluation of the Microstructural, Mechanical and Tribological Behaviour of Fly Ash Reinforced Aluminium Metal Matrix Composites

Evaluation of the Microstructural, Mechanical and Tribological Behaviour of Fly Ash Reinforced Aluminium Metal Matrix Composites

Investigation of the microstructure and wear behaviour of titanium compounds reinforced aluminium metal matrix composites

Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs) find its potential application in recent times in the area of aerospace and automotive industries owing to their superior strength to weight ratio and high-temperature resistance. In the present study, an attempt has been made to develop titanium compounds reinforced aluminium MMCs using powder metallurgy technique. Titanium oxide (TiO2), Titanium carbide (TiC) and Titanium nitride (TiN) of 5, 10 and 15 weight percentage has been reinforced into pure aluminium matrix individually. The aluminium and reinforcement powder were mixed in a horizontal ball mill to obtain a uniform mixture followed by pressing in a cylindrical die under a compacting pressure of 300 MPa. The compacted specimens were subjected to a sintering process at a sintering temperature of 450 °C in a tube furnace under nitrogen atmosphere for 4 h. Tribological properties of unreinforced aluminium and titanium compounds reinforced aluminium MMCs are examined by using pin-on-disc test machine. The wear rate and frictional force are evaluated as a function of applied load, sliding time and weight percentage of each reinforcement particles.

Analytical model of workpiece temperature in end milling in-situ TiB2/7050Al metal matrix composites

At present, analytical models to predict cutting temperature of metal matrix composites do not exist. The objective of this study is to establish an analytical temperature model of workpiece machined by the bottom cutting edge during end milling in-situ TiB2/7050Al metal matrix composites. In this model, the moving heat source method was applied with taking into consideration the tool flank wear effect, complex tool geometry of bottom cutting edge, dynamic heat flux and heat partition. Meanwhile, to meet the actual cutting facts, the effect of heating time was also considered. A dynamic cutting force model and the shear angle relationship were built for heat flux calculation and temperature modeling. With theoretical calculation and experimental data, the heat partition ratio, which stands for the heat conducted into workpiece, was found to increase linearly as thermal number increased. With validation, the proposed cutting temperature model was proved to be of good reliability and accuracy with the relative errors between prediction model and experiments being smaller than 18%. This analytical model will be of great significance for both the temperature modeling work of end milling process and analytical temperature modeling study of machining particle reinforced aluminum metal matrix composites.

Modeling and desirability approach-based multi-response optimization of WEDM parameters in machining of aluminum metal matrix composite

The study presents machining aspects of particulate silicon carbide reinforced aluminium metal matrix composite (Al/SiCp-MMC) using wire-cut electric discharge machining process. The influences of process parameters such as pulse on time, pulse off time, spark gap voltage, peak current, wire tension and wire feed rate on response variables such as workpiece cutting speed, surface roughness (Ra) and spark gap have been investigated. The Box–Behnken’s design has been utilized to plan the experiments, and response surface methodology is employed for developing quadratic regression models for selected response variables. Desirability function approach has been used to solve the multi-response optimization problem by assigning the weightages to the selected responses as per the user’s requirement of quality or productivity. The study recommends optimal process conditions such as pulse on time 0.75 µs, pulse off time 16 µs, spark gap voltage 35 V, peak current 120 A, wire tension 1200 g, and wire feed rate 10 m/min for effective machining of Al/SiCp-MMC, which has been validated by conducting confirmation experiments. The developed regression models for selected responses revealed compatible results, thereby justifying their acceptability.

Multi-objective optimization of end milling process parameter for stir casted alumina reinforced aluminium metal matrix composite using RSM

Modern manufacturing firms aim to attain quality, dimensional precision, increased production rate, minimal tool wear, economy and mainly surface roughness. Milling is becoming an essential material removal technique can be used for optimizing surface roughness of the composites for micro level and economic performance. Alumina reinforced Aluminium Metal Matrix Composites (AAMMC) developed by the stir casting method gives good mechanical properties and which is also used in many automotive, aerospace and industrial applications. This work focuses on the effect of end milling machining process parameters such ascutting speed, feed rate, depth of cut on machining of stir casted AAMMC. Alumina content of 10wt% is reinforced with Aluminium matrix is used for this research work, it was found that AAMMCs provide higher strength to weight ratio, wear resistance and hardness properties. Optimal levels and important end milling machining parameters were obtained using ANOVA and response surface methodology. The optimal values of surface roughness and the machining time were obtained at Cutting Speed of 1750 rev/min with a feed rate of 0.3 mm/rev and depth of cut 0.2mm. The predicted and measured values were interrelated with each other. This results determined that the model obtained using response surface methodology is utilized to analyse the Surface Roughness S.R and the Machining Time M.T of milling machining of AAMMC.

Processing, structure and thermal conductivity correlation in carbon fibre reinforced aluminium metal matrix composites

Al matrix composites reinforced with Cu-coated pitch-based carbon fibres (Al/Cu-CFs) were fabricated, using a novel combination of rheocasting and equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE) techniques, in order to exploit the thermal conductivity (K) of the material. Rheocasting allowed the introduction and dispersion of Cu-CFs within the Al3Mg matrix. The subsequent ECAE processing reduced the porosity of the composites from 3 to 0.03% and induced a high degree of fibre alignment within the matrix, although considerable damage to the fibres occurred during this processing step. After 6 ECAE passes, in which the billet orientation remained constant, the composite with the highest degree of fibre alignment show a thermal conductivity (K) improvement of ~20% with respect to the rheocast composite. The improvement is due to porosity reduction, improved fibre alignment and forced intimate contact of clean CF surfaces with the matrix.