Reinforcement For Aluminum Matrix Composites Research Articles

The effect of coarse and fine Ti3SiC2 particle reinforcement in aluminum matrix composites

Metal matrix composites (MMCs) reinforced by MAX phases are a promising class of advanced materials that exhibit high mechanical strength, wear resistance, and fracture toughness. Compared to MMCs reinforced with conventional ceramic particles, MAX phases do not hinder machinability or electrical and thermal conductivity of the metal matrix. This study investigated the effect of adding 3, 9 and 18 wt% coarse- and fine-sized Ti3SiC2 particles to pure Al. The Ti3SiC2/Al composites were fabricated by spark plasma sintering at a relatively low temperature of 540 °C, preventing the decomposition of the MAX phase and retaining its unique layered structure. It was found that the fine MAX particles hindered the sintering process. A high fraction of fine particles resulted in abundant porosity, weak interfaces and deteriorated mechanical properties. The microstructural analysis revealed a homogenous microstructure with the residual porosity being located mostly at grain boundaries near Ti3SiC2–Al interfaces. In addition, thin oxide layers could be observed at some of the Ti3SiC2–Al interfaces, which can aid in facilitating bonding between Al and Ti3SiC2. The composites with mostly coarse particles exhibited superior mechanical properties. The hardness increased with the addition of MAX particles and was shown to be slightly anisotropic, and the highest bending strength was achieved for the 3 wt% Ti3SiC2/Al. Nanoindentation hardness mapping analysis shed some light on the strengthening mechanism. The results of this study can serve as a basis for further research utilizing MAX-phase particle reinforcements in MMCs.

Role of –O functional groups at the Ti3C2O2(MXene)/Al interface in enhancing the mechanical properties of aluminum matrix composites: A first-principles study

MXenes gradually become an ideal reinforcement for aluminum matrix composites (AlMCs) due to their excellent mechanical properties and the characteristics of surface groups. In this work, the structural, adhesive, mechanical and electronic properties of Ti3C2(O2)/Al composites are systematically investigated by first-principles calculations based on density functional theory (DFT), revealing the role of –O functional groups at the interface. The first-principles tensile simulation showed that the tensile strength of the composites increased from 6.93 GPa (Ti3C2/Al) to 8.49 GPa (Ti3C2O2/Al), indicating that the –O functional group was beneficial to enhance the tensile properties of the composites. The results of plane-averaged charge density difference and Bader charge quantitatively suggest that the Ti3C2O2/Al(111) system has greater charge transfer than Ti3C2/Al(111) system. In particular, the Ti3C2O2/Al interface has atomic orbital hybridization, forming highly localized Al–O and O–Ti bonds, which constitute an “Al–O–Ti” interlocking structure at the interface. Crystal orbital Hamilton population (COHP) indicate that the bonding strength at the Ti3C2O2/Al interface is higher than that at the Ti3C2/Al interface. Therefore, the “Al–O–Ti” interlocking structure enhances the load transfer capability of AlMCs and thus improves their mechanical properties. This work provides theoretical support for further understanding the strengthening mechanism of Mxene/Al composites.

Mechanical Property and Corrosion Behavior of Powder-Metallurgy-Processed 3D Graphene-Networks-Reinforced Al Matrix Composites

Three-dimensional graphene networks (3DGN) have the potential to be used as a reinforcement for aluminum matrix composites due to their unique wrinkled structure and cost-effectiveness. In this work, the mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of 3DGN in Al matrix were systematically investigated. 3DGN/Al composites with weight ratios of 0, 0.075, 0.150, 0.225, and 0.300 3DGN were prepared by powder metallurgy following by ball mill and spark plasma sintering. Results revealed that the densification of 3DGN/Al composites slightly decreases with the increase of 3DGN content. Increased hardness without loss of ductility was recorded compared to the pure aluminum sample prepared under the same experimental conditions. 3DGN/Al composites exhibit higher corrosion currents density than that of pure aluminum, which shows that the addition of 3DGN reinforcement aggravates the corrosion of aluminum. This study can be used as a reference for future research on the effect of graphene on the various properties of graphene-reinforced aluminum matrix composites.

ANALYSIS OF A DRILLING HYBRID ALUMINUM METAL MATRIX COMPOSITES BY USING SPSS

Hybrid Metal matrix composites are light weight and high strength Applications include aerospace and automobile industry Advanced materials are used. Mixed Used In preparing metal matrix composites Among various techniques, the stirrup casting technique is the simplest And economical. Aluminum alloy alloys are new The generation is metal matrix composites, which The latest requirements of advanced engineering applications have the ability to fulfill Aluminum matrix composites (AMCs) are light weight high of efficient aluminum core material systems represent a class. Reinforcement in AMCs is Continuous/discontinuous filaments, whiskers or A few percent to 70% is in particulate form. Aluminum Metal matrix composites (AlMMCs) are Light Weight, high stiffness and moderate strength applications Successful in meeting stringent specifications It is a category of proven products. Required Properties. MMCs are metal as a reinforcing material is formed by dispersion in the matrix. Reinforcement To prevent a chemical reaction with the matrix The surface can be coated. For example, in aluminum matrix Carbon fibers with low density and high strength are commonly used. to consolidate composites. Matrix Materials and Major Compounds: Several metals in groups are used. Aluminum, Titanium, Magnesium and Copper alloys are very important and Super alloys. Fine particles: Silicon Carbide, Boron Carbide, Titanium Carbide.

Electric Arc Furnace Dust Recycled in 7075 Aluminum Alloy Composites Fabricated by Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS).

The reuse of industrial waste, such as electric arc furnace dust (EAFD) as reinforcement in aluminum matrix composites (AMC), is still little explored even though it has shown potential to improve the mechanical properties, such as hardness and mechanical strength, of AMCs. To propose a new alternative for EAFD recycling, AA7075-EAFD composites were produced by spark plasma sintering (SPS). The starting powders were prepared by high-energy milling with different weight fractions of EAFD in two particle size ranges added to an AA7075 matrix. SEM shows that the distribution of reinforcement particles in the matrix is homogeneous with no agglomeration of the particles. XRD patterns of initial powders and the SPS-sintered (SPSed) samples suggest that there was no reaction during sintering (no additional peaks were detected). The relative density of all SPSed samples exceeded 96.5%. The Vickers microhardness of the composites tended to increase with increasing EAFD content, increasing from 108 HV (AA7075 without reinforcement) up to 168 HV (56% increase). The maximum microhardness value was obtained when using 15 wt.% EAFD with a particle size smaller than 53 μm (called G1), showing that EAFD presents a promising potential to be applied as reinforcement in AA7075 matrix composites.

Investigation of magnetite concentrate utilization as reinforcement in aluminum matrix composites

The utilization of harder particles with magnetic properties as reinforcement in aluminum matrix composites (AMCs) enhances the mechanical and magnetic properties of aluminum. Present study investigates the utilization of magnetite concentrate (MC), which is composed of mainly Fe3O4, as reinforcement in AMCs. To achieve this goal, commercially pure Al and MC powders were blended (0–40 wt.% of MC) and ground by high energy ball milling, pressed, and sintered at 600°C for 30 min under an argon atmosphere. The products were characterized by XRD, and SEM analyses. Also, the density and porosity of the samples were determined by Archimedes’ principle. According to the results, it was observed that with the increasing reinforcement amount, agglomeration of the MC particles inside the Al matrix, as well as the porosities of the samples, increased. 10–20 wt. % of MC containing samples, the porosity values were obtained around 12 vol. %, however higher reinforcement amounts, raised the porosity values to 17.33 vol. % linearly. With the increment in both nonconductive MC particles and pores, the electrical conductivity of the samples decreased linearly. On the other hand, hard reinforcement particles played a positive role in both hardness and wear properties and a 43.37 HB of hardness value and 0.197 m3/N.m × 10−12 specific wear rate was obtained for the sample containing 40 wt. %, MC. In addition, an increase in magnetic properties was observed in direct proportion to the amount of MC particles added, up to 31 Am2.kg−1 of saturation magnetization.

A study on the formation of multiple intermetallic compounds of friction stir processed high entropy alloy particles reinforced Al matrix composites

In this paper, AlCoCrFeNi high-entropy alloy (HEA) particles was used as the reinforcement for aluminum matrix composites fabricated by friction stir processing. HEA particles were uniformly dispersed in the aluminum matrix. The formation of multiple intermetallic compounds and interface behavior were closely evaluated. The HEA-Al interface consisted of Al13(CoCrFeNiMg)4, Al9(CoFeNi)2 and Al18Cr2Mg3, and the interface formation and growth behavior were investigated by coupling the thermodynamics and kinetics factors. The low effective Gibbs free energy of Al13(CoCrFeNiMg)4 and Al9(CoFeNi)2 phases is the thermodynamic nature of their generation at the interface. Compared with as-received Al, the fabricated composites exhibited 16.8% higher yield strength and 28.1% higher tensile strength, and the elongation was retained to 15.3%. Both of brittle and ductile fracture characteristics were observed on the surface of the HEA particles.

Investigation of Magnetite Concentrate Utilization as Reinforcement in Aluminum Matrix Composites

Investigation of Magnetite Concentrate Utilization as Reinforcement in Aluminum Matrix Composites

Selective Laser Melting of Al-Based Matrix Composites with Al2O3 Reinforcement: Features and Advantages.

Aluminum matrix composites (AMC) are of great interest and importance as high-performance materials with enhanced mechanical properties. Al2O3 is a commonly used reinforcement in AMCs fabricated by means of various technological methods, including casting and sintering. Selective laser melting (SLM) is a suitable modern method of the fabrication of net-shape fully dense parts from AMC with alumina. The main results, achievements, and difficulties of SLM applied to AMCs with alumina are discussed in this review and compared with conventional methods. It was shown that the initial powder preparation, namely the particle size distribution, sphericity, and thorough mixing, affected the final microstructure and properties of SLMed materials drastically. The distribution of reinforcing particles tends to consolidate the near-melting pool-edges process because of pushing by the liquid–solid interface during the solidification process that is a common problem of various fabrication methods. The achievement of an homogeneous distribution was shown to be possible through both the thorough mixing of the initial powders and the precise optimization of SLM parameters. The strength of the AMCs fabricated by the SLM method was relatively low compared with materials produced by conventional methods, while for superior relative densities of more than 99%, hardness and tribological properties were obtained, making SLM a promising method for the Al-based matrix composites with Al2O3.

Effect of Reinforcement Material on Properties of Manufactured Aluminum Matrix Composite Using Stir Casting Route

Composite is a lightweight material that used and developed in various industries. The use of aluminum matrix composites as structural and automotive materials has increased in recent years. One of the obstacles in the development of aluminum matrix composites is high-cost production, especially raw material for reinforcing particles. One innovation is the use of natural materials and waste as reinforcement in aluminum matrix composites. Sea sand is one of the natural materials containing ceramic or oxide compounds so that it has the potential to be used as reinforcement in aluminum matrix composites. This paper compares the physical and mechanical properties of aluminum composite production using sea sand particles and composites with commonly used ceramic particle reinforcement, such as alumina and SiC. Calculation of density and porosity shows that Al6061/sea sand composites have higher density and lower porosity compared to Al6061/Al2O3 and Al6061/SiC composites. The hardness of Al6061/sea sand composite is higher compared to Al6061/Al2O3 and Al6061/SiC composites.

In-situ synthesis of MgAlB4 whiskers as a promising reinforcement for aluminum matrix composites

Metal boride whiskers were successfully synthesized in Al matrix by ball-milling combining with vacuum hot pressing process. Composition and structural analysis confirm that the metal boride is hexagonal crystal MgAlB4. First-principles calculations indicate that Mg doping can promote the growth of AlB2 in [0001] orientation and inhibit the growth in [213‾0] orientation. Based on the experiment and calculation results, we proposed a layer growth model with tip preferential growing in [0001] direction to obtain MgAlB4 whiskers. Tensile tests show that the in-situ synthesized MgAlB4 whiskers reinforced Al matrix composites have excellent ultimate tensile strength with an acceptable elongation to break. Electron backscatter diffraction results show that the whiskers can significantly refine the grain of the matrix, resulting in more retention of low angle grain boundaries in the matrix. Fracture analysis reveals that strong interface bonding was achieved between the whisker and the Al matrix, which benefits the load transfer between the matrix and the whiskers and results in crack initiation preferentially in whisker.

Towards strength-ductility synergy with favorable strengthening effect through the formation of a quasi-continuous graphene nanosheets coated Ni structure in aluminum matrix composite

In this study, in situ synthesis of graphene nanosheets (GNS) coated nickel (Ni@GNS) as reinforcement for aluminum matrix composites (Ni@GNS/Al) was reported. Ni@GNS exhibits a quasi-continuous network-like structure. The addition of Ni could reduce the interfacial thermal expansion and improve the wettability between GNS and Al, resulting in a robust interfacial bonding among GNS, Ni and Al. Due to the unique structure, the composite exhibits a favorable strength-ductility synergy. The yield strength of the composite increases to 237 ± 2 MPa, ~ 80.9% improvement compared to that of the unreinforced Al, combined with an excellent elongation of 19.1 ± 2%. The main strengthening mechanisms are the interfacial thermal mismatch and Orowan dislocation strengthening, with some contributions of grain refinement, load transfer of GNS and precipitated-phase strengthening of Ni. Moreover, the interlocked effect between GNS and Ni could further prolong the deformation failure and improve the plasticity of the composites.

In-situ synthesis of graphene decorated with nickel nanoparticles for fabricating reinforced 6061Al matrix composites

Graphene has attracted a lot of interest to be used as reinforcement in Aluminum matrix composites (AMCs) on account of its superior mechanical properties. However, the most serious and challenging issues in graphene-reinforced AMCs are that reinforcements are quite difficult to disperse uniformly in metal matrix and ensure intimate interfacial bonding simultaneously. In this work, an ultrafine Ni nanoparticles (NPs)-decorated graphene hybrid (indicated with Ni-NPs@GNP) was firstly synthesized by an in-situ chemical vapor deposition method to improve the wettability between metal and carbon nanophase, then the Ni-NPs@GNP/6061Al composite powders were obtained by dispersing the Ni-NPs@GNP into 6061Al alloy particles via a short time intermittent ball milling process. Finally, the Ni-NPs@GNP/6061Al bulk composites were fabricated through hot-pressing sintering of the composite powders. It was demonstrated that good dispersion of reinforcements was achieved in the Ni-NPs@GNP/6061Al composite coupled with remarkably enhanced interfacial bonding by introducing Ni NPs on the graphene, which resulted in the formation of Al3Ni intermetallic at the interface and thus improved the interfacial adhesion between 6061Al and graphene. As a result, the Ni-NPs@GNP/6061Al composite with 0.7wt% reinforcement exhibited much enhanced mechanical properties, namely, a high yield strength of 140MPa together with a tensile strength of 213MPa can be achieved, which were 75% and 30% higher than that of the monolithic 6061Al, respectively. This work provides an inspiring strategy for fabricating 6061Al composites with adjustable mechanical properties as well as controllable interfacial bonding.

Optimization of electrical discharge machining process parameters for Al6061/cenosphere composite using grey-based hybrid approach

Fly ash has congregated considerable attention as a potential reinforcement for aluminum matrix composites (AMCs) to enhance selective properties and reduce the cost of fabrication. However, poor machinability of such AMCs limits their application. The present study focuses on the preparation of cenosphere fly ash reinforced Al6061 alloys by compo casting method. X-ray diffraction analysis of the prepared AMCs exposes the presence of cenosphere particles without any formation of other intermetallic compounds. In this study, electrical discharge machining (EDM) was engaged to examine the machinability of the prepared metal matrix composite (MMCs). The measured performance characteristics for the various combinations of input process parameters were considered to be MRR, EWR and SR. Face centered central composite design (CCD) of response surface method (RSM) was employed to design the number of experimental trials required and a hybrid approach of grey-based response surface methodology (GRSM) was imposed for predicting the optimal combination of processing parameter in EDM process. Generous improvement was observed in the performance characteristics obtained by employing both the optimal setting of machining parameters. The optical 3D surface profile graphs of the ED machined surface also revealed the improvement in surface quality and texture employing the optimal processing conditions proposed by hybrid GRSM approach.

Titanium dioxide coated carbon nanofibers as a promising reinforcement in aluminum matrix composites fabricated by liquid pressing process

Carbon-nanofiber (CNF) reinforced aluminum (Al) matrix composites were fabricated by a unique liquid pressing process. The mechanical properties of the CNF–Al composites, both with and without titanium dioxide (TiO2) coating layers on the CNF surface, have been studied. The compressive yield strength of the TiO2 coated CNF–Al composite dramatically increased (over nine times), as compared with that of an Al alloy. TiO2 coated CNFs are expected to be a highly sustainable and dispersible reinforcement for metal matrix composites (MMCs) that are fabricated by a metal melting process.

Microstructure and some mechanical properties of fly ash particulate reinforced AA6061 aluminum alloy composites prepared by compocasting

Fly ash has gathered widespread attention as a potential reinforcement for aluminum matrix composites (AMCs) to enhance the properties and reduce the cost of production. Aluminum alloy AA6061 reinforced with various amounts (0, 4, 8 and 12wt.%) of fly ash particles were prepared by compocasting method. Fly ash particles were incorporated into the semi solid aluminum melt. X-ray diffraction patterns of the prepared AMCs revealed the presence of fly ash particles without the formation of any other intermetallic compounds. The microstructures of the AMCs were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy. The AMCs were characterized with the homogeneous dispersion of fly ash particles having clear interface and good bonding to the aluminum matrix. The incorporation of fly ash particles improved the microhardness and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of the AMCs.

Insight into reactions and interface between boron nitride nanotube and aluminum

Abstract

Microstructure and Properties of Spark Plasma Sintered Carbon Nanotube Reinforced Aluminum Matrix Composites

AbstractIn this paper, spark plasma sintering (SPS) of multi‐walled carbon nanotube (CNT) reinforced aluminum matrix composites is reported. Ball milling of the Al‐CNT mixture with polyacrylic acid (PAA) dispersion agent followed by SPS resulted in uniform dispersion of CNTs in dense composite compacts. Significant improvement in microhardness, nanohardness, and compressive yield strength was observed with 2 wt% CNT reinforcement in aluminum matrix composites. The Al‐CNT composites further exhibited improved wear resistance and lower friction coefficient due to strengthening and self‐lubricating effects of CNTs.

Analysis of Boron Carbide Aluminum Matrix Composites

This study deals with the feasibility of using boron carbide (B4C) as reinforcement for aluminum matrix composites (AMCs) obtained by solid-state processes (powder metallurgy and extrusion). Two different reinforcements were considered: B4C as the object of this study and SiC for direct comparison of results. Aluminum alloy AA6061 was used as matrix in all cases. Comparative analysis between both SiC and B4C composites was focused on mechanical and tribological properties and correlated to microstructural features. Hardness and strength increased for composites together with volume fraction of reinforcement, reaching its maximum value to 10% B4C. Regarding tribology, composites showed an increased dynamic friction coefficient but a lower wear rate than the unreinforced aluminum alloy. Applications as brake disks for automotive industry are foreseen.

Sol–Gel Coatings as Active Barriers to Protect Ceramic Reinforcement in Aluminum Matrix Composites

Silica obtained through a sol–gel process is used as a coating for ceramic reinforcements (SiC) in aluminium matrix composite materials. The interaction between molten aluminium and the coated particles during material casting can be controlled by means of the thermal treatment given to the coating. Wettability is increased because the coating reacts with molten aluminium, and the formation of the degrading aluminium carbide is inhibited.