Reinforced Aluminum Research Articles

Investigative Study of the Structure and Mechanical Behaviour of Horse Eye Bean Seed Shell Ash Reinforced Aluminium Alloy Matrix Composite

Investigative Study of the Structure and Mechanical Behaviour of Horse Eye Bean Seed Shell Ash Reinforced Aluminium Alloy Matrix Composite

Process Development for the Ceramic Injection Molding of Oxide Chopped Fiber Reinforced Aluminum Oxide

In this study, it was tried to develop a process chain for ceramic injection molding of Al2O3-chopped-fiber reinforced oxide-ceramic-matrix-composite. The feedstocks are compounded at 50 Vol. % filling degree of solid (Al2O3 μ-powder (Taimei Chemicals Co. Ltd.) and 3,2 mm chopped fibers (3M)), in which fiber content varies from 0 Vol. % to 100 Vol. %. As binder system, PE + Paraffin Wax + Stearic Acid are used. The ingredients are compounded in a kneader (Brabender) at 125°C and after the viscosity measurement in the high pressure capillary rheometer at 160°C and certain shear rates, the feedstock is injection molded (Battenfeld) at 160°C, which is followed by debinding process, including chemical (in n-Hexane) and thermal steps, and 2h sintering at different temperatures. Flow paths in the machinery parts, rheological properties of binding system, fiber content and the fiber orientation have significant effect on the flow behavior of the feedstock, fiber -orientation, -distribution & -length, which are crucial to understand the properties of end-parts like mechanical reinforcement of the fibers. The fibers in the sintered parts are ca. 200 μm in average length. The fibers in the feedstock show different orientations depending on the part-geometry and the green bodies have different densities depending on sintering temperature, amount of dispersant and fiber orientation.

Continuous Powder Extrusion for Fabrication of Carbon Fibre Reinforced Aluminium

Short fibre reinforced aluminium was produced using the Temconex® process which is a continuous extrusion using a mixture of metal powder and ceramic short fibre as feedstock. The Temconex® process was derived and further developed from the ConformTM process which uses metal rod rather than powder as feedstock. In the present paper the effect of the prechamber length on the mechanical properties was examined. As material Al99.7 powder with different volume fractions of milled carbon fibres was used. Distribution, orientation and geometry of the embedded fibres were examined using light microscopy. The mechanical properties were determined via tensile testing and resonance frequency analysis. An important increase of the Young’s modulus is observed because of the introduction of fibres. It can be rationalized based on Clyne’s Shear Lag model. Results show that an extension of the prechamber enhances the Young’s modulus and the elongation of fracture due to reduced fibre fracture and better fibre alignment.

Composite Peening - A Novel Processing Technology for Graded Reinforced Aluminium Matrix Composites

Recently, the attention paid to Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs) has increased markedly. In particular, particle-reinforced MMCs are outstanding due to superior specific properties and their wear resistance. In order to further improve material utilization, recent investigations with local reinforcements in highly stressed component sections, the so-called Functionally Graded Metal Matrix Composites (FGMMC), are concerned. The production of such FGMMC was realized with composite peening - a modified process on the basis of micro shot peening. Due to this solid-phase process, ceramic particles can be introduced into regions close to the boundary layer. As preliminary studies on tin show, ceramic particles can be introduced close to the specimen surface even at room temperature. By varying process parameters, in particular by increasing the temperature, the penetration depth of the particles can be significantly increased. In case of aluminium as base material, an input of particles into the surface could be observed at a process temperature of 150 °C. The combination of aluminium with reinforced ceramic particles makes this process interesting for lightweight, wear-resistant and cyclically highly stressed structural components. Using composite peening to produce FGMMCs is a novel, economic approach.

Characterization of the Bonded Connection in Hybrid-Steel-GFRP-Laminates

Intrinsic hybrid laminates are well established since many years in aerospace engineering, e.g. Glass Laminate Aluminium Reinforced Epoxy (GLARE) is widely used as a substitute for aluminium sheets of the outer shell of modern aircrafts. The reduction of density and an increased stiffness by compounding glass fiber and aluminium makes GLARE advantageous. Driven by environmental protection acts and the need for lightweight design material compounds attract more awareness in the automotive engineering as well. Functional components like chassis springs are well predestined for the application of glass fiber reinforced plastics (GFRP). Therefore, an intrinsic hybrid made up by GFRP and a high strength steel has recently been developed and characterized. This investigation sets the focus on the interface between GFRP and steel. Double cantilever beam tests (mode I) and shear tests (mode II) are conducted in order to measure the energy release rate and the shear strength of the considered interface. A variety of surface treatments of steel layer has been characterized by this approach. The results show up that good adhesion can be achieved by silane and titanium dioxide primers, however, the variation within the data is significantly higher than for other surface treatment variants. Furthermore, the increase of the energy release rate by fiber bridging effects is considered as well and an approach for its quantitative description by a power law is presented.

Machining Performance of Hot-Pressed Carbon Nanotube Reinforced Alumina Cutting Tool Insert

Machining performance of monolithic alumina (Al2O3) tool inserts for metal cutting through carbon nanotube (CNT) incorporation was studied in this work. 0.3 vol% multiwalled CNT(MWCNT)-Al2O3 nanocomposite was prepared by hot-pressing at 1550°C with a dwell of 1 h under 2.5 MPa uniaxial pressure in static argon atmosphere. The hot-pressed nanocomposite achieved >99.5% of its theoretical density. The specimen also offered improved fracture toughness, KIC (~23% higher), flexural strength, σFS (~10% higher), hardness, HV1 (~7.5% higher) and thermal conductivity, κ (~30% higher) compared to those of pure Al2O3 (KIC = 5.23 MPa-m0.5, σFS = 341.01 MPa, HV1 = 18.80 GPa, κ = 23.69 W/mK). Inserts developed with this nanocomposite having 0.8 and 1 mm nose radii demonstrated successful machining during turning of AISI 4340 steel rod (hardness = 38 HRC) in dry environment under different cutting conditions and showed promising applicability in machining industry.

Progress on Preparation, Microstructure and Property of Graphene Reinforced Aluminum Matrix Composite

Graphene with unique two-dimensional structure and excellent mechanical properties, is one of the most ideal reinforcements. With the increasing progress of aluminum matrix composites, graphene reinforced aluminum matrix composites have attracted great interests. This paper mainly reviews the latest progress on preparation of graphene reinforced aluminum matrix composites, and especially discusses the effective dispersion technique of graphene. Meanwhile, the microstructure and interfacial structure of graphene reinforced aluminum matrix composites are also emphasized and discussed. The results showed that graphene can significantly improve the mechanical properties of composites and refine the matrix grain. By controlling preparation parameters, the graphene agglomeration can be effectively solved, and the adverse interface reaction between graphene and substrate can be avoided. Finally, the current challenges and solutions of graphene reinforced aluminum matrix composites were presented.

Development of Aluminium Reinforced Milled Carbon Fibre Composites via Magnetically Controlled Ball Milling: Manufacturing and Characterisation

Aluminium reinforced with different volume fractions of milled carbon fibres (MCFs) were manufactured via advanced powder metallurgy processing method. Composites containing 5, 10, 15 and 20 % volume fraction of MCFs were prepared using the Uniball magneto milling technique. Full density cylindrical compacts were produced by uniaxial hot pressing (UHP) at 600°C for a dwelling time close to 15 minutes. Characterization was done using x-ray diffractometry (XRD) and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FSEM). The mechanical and physical properties were determined by compression testing, Vickers hardness, and Archimedes density. Unniball milling of blends resulted in decrease of aspect ratio of the MCFs and refinement of the Al grain size. Results show slight uniform distribution of MCFs in Al matrix for higher volume fractions without discernible porosity. In samples containing low volume fractions of MCFs (5% and 10%) fibres tended to be pushed towards grain boundaries during grain growth. In samples with higher volume fraction of MCFs (15 and 20% a more uniform distribution of MCFs in the product was obtained. The compressive strength of the composites was enhanced by the fibres, attributable to good interface bonding and wetting between the matrix and the reinforcement fibres. The combination of controlled ball milling and UHP techniques has facilitated the development of Al-MCFs composites potentially to be used in automobile industries.

Thermal degradation behaviour of resins in aluminium composite under isothermal condition

As a member of the aluminium composite, GLARE (GLAss fibre/epoxy REinforced aluminium laminates) was used in the upper fuselage of Airbus A380 because of its superior mechanical properties over monolithic aluminium alloys. Thermal processing is a potential method for materials recycling and reuse from GLARE scrap with the aim of environmental protection and economic benefits. Thermal delamination is a crucial pre-treatment step for GLARE recycling. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) tests have been used to identify the decomposition temperature range of epoxy resins under non-isothermal condition in our previous work [1]. To obtain an appropriate solution for GLARE thermal delamination, the thermal degradation behaviour of epoxy resins in GLARE under isothermal conditions were investigated and isothermal decomposition kinetic models were built up based on DSC and thermogravimetric analysis TGA. The thermal delamination process of GLARE is determined based on thermal analysis results and experimental optimization.

Evaluation of Thrust force in Drilling Woven roving Glass fibre reinforced Aluminium Sandwich laminates with TiAlN coated drill using Taguchi analysis

TiAlN is a high-performance coating which outshines in coarse and hard-to-machine materials like cast iron, aluminium alloys, tool steels, and nickel alloys. This paper presents the prediction and evaluation of thrust force and Torque in drilling of Woven roving Glass Fibre Reinforced Plastic and Aluminium sandwich laminate. The Prediction is based on Taguchi method. The experimental results specify that the feed rate and the drill diameter are the most significant factors affecting the thrust force, while the feed rate and spindle speed contribute the most to the surface roughness. In this study, the objective was to establish a correlation between the feed rate, spindle speed and drill diameter with the induced thrust force and Torque in drilling sandwich laminate.

A Brief Research Review for Improvement Methods the Wettability between Ceramic Reinforcement Particulate and Aluminium Matrix Composites

The development of new methods for addition fine ceramic powders to Al aluminium alloy melts, which would lead to more uniform distribution and effective incorporation of the reinforcement particles into the aluminium matrix alloy. Recently the materials engineering research has moved to composite materials from monolithic, adapting to the global need for lightweight, low cost, quality, and high performance advanced materials. Among the different methods, stir casting is one of the simplest ways of making aluminium matrix composites. However, it suffers from poor distribution and combination of the reinforcement ceramic particles in the metal matrix. These problems become significantly effect to reduce reinforcement size, more agglomeration and tendency with less wettability for the ceramic particles in the melt process. Many researchers have carried out different studies on the wettability between the metal matrix and dispersion phase, which includes added wettability agents, fluxes, preheating the reinforcement particles, coating the reinforcement particles, and use composting techniques. The enhancement of wettability of ceramic particles by the molten matrix alloy and the reinforcement particles distribution improvement in the solidified matrix is the main objective for many studies that will be discussed in this paper.

Microstructure and Wear Behaviour of Aluminium Metal Matrix Composites Reinforced With Mg-Sic-TiO2-flyash

Al6061 was particulate with various reinforcement composite metal matrix materials adding different matrices using stir casting method. Reinforcement of hybrid composites used to various kinds of applications such as good wear resistance, electrical semiconductor and development of mechanical properties. The characteristics of various combinations of Aluminium reinforcement material were investigated. Wear behavior has investigated by using pin-on- disc mechanism. Using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) examined in this investigation. Using optical microscopic to identifying the various worn surfaces such as Ploughing, debris and oxide layer. Pin-on-wear mechanism were carried out the reinforcement of Aluminium with different prepared composites of wear parameters such as sliding distance 300mm, sliding speed 2.5m/s and applying load 5N, 10N, 15N. This analysis result focused on minimum wear, coefficient of friction, frictional load and temperature effect. Experimental result shows the amount of adding composite particles to increasing the wear resistance and decreasing wear losses. From the effect of wear as curve fitting technique was applied for the polynomial and power law equation. These equations of R2 value higher than power law equations and much agreed with the experimental observation.

Experimental and numerical investigation into axial compressive behaviour of thin-walled structures filled with foams and composite skeleton

This study investigated crashworthiness characteristics of a circular aluminum tube internally reinforced with a composite skeleton and aluminum foams subjected to quasi-static axial crushing load. For a comparative purpose, an empty tube and tubes with single reinforcement (aluminum foams or composite skeleton) were tested as well. The deformation patterns and several key parameters related to the crashworthiness of these structures were investigated and compared. The experimental results showed that the proposed design offered the best energy absorption characteristics, and the specific energy absorption increased by 32% compared to the empty tube. In order to explore the mechanisms of enhancement in energy absorption, the composite skeleton and the tube filled with separated foams were tested, and the strong interaction between foams and the skeleton has been found to have a very remarkable contribution to total energy absorption. Additionally, numerical models were built based on different material constitutive relationships and validated by experimental results. Further parametric studies were performed to investigate the effects of tube thickness, skeleton thickness and foam density on crashworthiness. It is found that tube thickness is more important to affecting crashworthiness, which provides a basis for structural optimization.

Synthesis and Mechanical Characterization of Magnesium Reinforced With Nano Alumina Composites

This paper presents the synthesis and mechanical properties study of Magnesium reinforced nano alumina powders with variation in volume percentages of alumina. The magnesium nano alumina composites are developed by reinforcing with 3 amounts of nano alumina (i.e., 0.35, 0.7, and 1.4 volume%) to the magnesium. Monolithic magnesium and its nano composites are synthesized by using the powder metallurgy technique. Samples are produced from nano-composite powders by the cold compacting process done on UTM. Samples are sintered to a temperature of 600-620°C in the presence of the Argon gas flow with a pressure rate of 15L/min. Green density and sintered densities are calculated and compared for all the compositions. It is observed that density increased after the sintering. The micro structural verifications are carried out using X-ray diffraction. Hardness values and SEM micro graphs are compared for various compositions of nano alumina to magnesium. An increase in amount of nano alumina reinforcement led to a progressive increase in micro-hardness of pure (Mg) magnesium. Hence by viewing SEM images it is found alumina to be well dispersed in the Mg metal matrix.

Comparative Study on Erosive Wear Response of SiC Reinforced and Fly Ash Reinforced Aluminium Based Metal Matrix Composite

In this study an attempt has been made to compare the microstructure, mechanical property and erosive wear response of ADC 12 alloy reinforced with 10 wt% of SiC and Fly ash. Both the composites and base alloy were fabricated through liquid metallurgy route. The wear behaviour was examined by the sample rotation technique using slurry pot erosion tester. The wear tests were conducted in two different environments namely mining and basic atmosphere. Sand concentrations in the slurry are varied from 0-60% in the step of 20 while speed of the rotation was fixed at 1100 RPM for all the samples. Wear rates were computed using weight loss technique. To examine the influence of the SiC and Fly ash particle dispersion, matrix alloy was also characterized under similar conditions.The microstructure of as cast aluminum alloy shows primary Al dendrites and secondary intermetallic phases around the dendrites. The SiC and Fly Ash particles are noted to be uniformly distributed within the metallic matrix and these particles are trapped within the primary aluminium dendrites instead of interdendritic region. Both the composites exhibited better wear resistance than the matrix alloy in the mining environment while in basic environment reverse trend of behavior is obtained. ADC12-SiC composite exhibited better wear resistance than the ADC12-Fly ash composite in both media irrespective of the sand content.

Wear Resistance and Surface Hardness of Carbon Nanotube Reinforced Alumina Matrix Nanocomposite by Cold Sprayed Process

Carbon nanotube reinforced alumina matrix nanocomposite was fabricated by cold spray process on Al-Si alloys surfaces. The effects of various amounts of CNTs from 0, 2 and 4 wt % on alumina powders were investigated. Results show that the improvement in both wear resistance and hardness was provided by 2 wt. % CNTs reinforcement. The hardness of carbon nanotube reinforced alumina matrix nanocomposite was increased due to an enhanced load sharing of homogeneously distributed carbon nanotubes. Homogeneous distribution of CNTs within the Al2O3 matrix and strong interfacial connection between CNTs-Al2O3 give nanocomposites with superior wear properties.

A Review: Fiber Metal Laminates (FML’s) - Manufacturing, Test methods and Numerical modeling

Weight reduction of components is the main aim of different industrial sectors. This leads to increasing application areas of fiber composites for primary structural components. Aiming this objective, a new lightweight Fiber/Metal Laminate (FML) has been developed. Fiber metal laminate is one such material which is being widely investigated for its performance compared to existing material.. The most commercially available fiber metal laminates (FML’s) are ARALL (Aramid Reinforced Aluminium Laminate), based on aramid fibers, GLARE (Glass Reinforced Aluminium Laminate), based on high strength glass fibers and CARALL (Carbon Reinforced Aluminium Laminate), based on carbon fibers. The mechanical properties of FML show advantages over the properties of both aluminium alloys and composite materials individual. This paper reviews relevant literature which deals with different manufacturing techniques for FML’s with excellent properties under tensile, flexure and impact conditions. It also reviewed recent modeling techniques on FML’s. Modeling of tensile, flexure and impacts behavior on fiber metal laminates requires understanding the bonding between the metal and composite layer. Further research is necessary in the assessment of mechanical performance of complex structures in real world conditions.

Dynamic High Temperature Compression of Carbon Nanotubes Reinforced Aluminum Foams

The dynamic mechanical behavior of closed cell aluminum foam reinforced with carbon nanotubes (CNT) has been investigated at high temperatures and varying strain rates using the split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB). CNT concentration was varied from 0 to 3 wt%. Experimental results of closed cell Al-foam composites show that the dynamic mechanical properties in terms of peak stress and plateau stress increase as the strain rate increases under increasing temperatures. Compared to unreinforced Al-foam, the CNT reinforced foam shows an increase in peak and plateau stress of over 50–100% depending on the CNT concentration and temperature. Among the different CNT concentrations investigated, the 2 wt% CNT Al-foam shows the highest peak stress, plateau stress and energy absorption under the temperature range studied.

Эффективность использования нанодисперсного порошка диоксида циркония для упрочнения алюмооксидной керамики

Эффективность использования нанодисперсного порошка диоксида циркония для упрочнения алюмооксидной керамики

Effect of Bottom Ash and Fly Ash as a Susceptor Material on The Properties of Aluminium Based Composites Prepared by Microwave Sintering

The use of aluminium as a single material in automotive applications is not suitable without a mixture with reinforcement materials that can support the properties at high temperature. In this study, aluminium based composite were prepared with weight percentage of SiC reinforcement, varying from 5 to 20 wt%. Aluminium powder and reinforcement materials were mixed using ball milling machine with speed of 100 rpm for 2 hours. The powder mixture were then compressed at pressure 4 tonnes with 5 minutes holding time. The compact samples were sintered using microwave sintering technique. Microwave sintering techniques in this study using two different types of susceptor materials that are bottom ash and fly ash. Sintered aluminium based composites using bottom ash susceptor material involving the sintering temperature of 526 °C for 30 minutes whereas for the samples sintered using fly ash susceptor material, involving a temperature of 523 °C for 15 minutes. From the result, the sintered samples using fly ash susceptor material, showed higher density with a value of 2.1933 g/cm 3 compared to bottom ash 2.0002 g/cm 3 and having the higher hardness value 72.1315 HV compared to bottom ash 50.0511HV. The using of fly ash could affect the heating rate during the sintering process which could influence the properties of aluminium based composites. In conclusion, the type of susceptor could affect the physical and mechanical properties of aluminum-based composite reinforced with silicon carbide.