Evaluation of microstructure and mechanical properties of Al/Al2O3/SiC hybrid composite fabricated by accumulative roll bonding process

In this investigation, a new kind of metal matrix composites with a matrix of pure aluminum and hybrid reinforcement of Al₂O₃ and SiC particles was fabricated for the first time by anodizing followed by eight cycles accumulative roll bonding (ARB). The resulting microstructures and the corresponding mechanical properties of composites within different stages of ARB process were studied. It was found that with increasing the ARB cycles, alumina layers were fractured, resulting in homogenous distribution of Al₂O₃ particles in the aluminum matrix. Also, the distribution of SiC particles was improved and the porosity between particles and the matrix was decreased. It was observed that the tensile strength of composites improved by increasing the ARB passes, i.e. the tensile strength of the Al/1.6 vol.% Al₂O₃/1 vol.% SiC composite was measured to be about 3.1 times higher than as-received material. In addition, tensile strength of composites decreased by increasing volume fraction of SiC particles to more than 1 vol.%. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation of fractured surfaces showed that the failure mechanism of broken hybrid composite was shear ductile rupture.     

Nanostructured AA5005/Al2O3 composite manufactured by anodising and accumulative roll bonding

In this study, nanostructured AA5005/6 vol.-% Al₂O₃ composite manufactured by anodising and accumulative roll bonding (ARB) processes was investigated. The microstructure of the AA5005/Al₂O₃ composite after ninth ARB cycle exhibited a good distribution of alumina reinforcement particles in the AA5005 matrix. It was found that with increasing the number of cycles, the tensile strength of the monolithic and composite samples increased, but their ductility decreased at the first ARB cycle and then increased. The mean grain size of the composite sample after the ninth cycle was 88?nm. The tensile strength of the composite was 3.3 times higher than the initial AA5005 sheet. Observations revealed that the failure mode in the AA5005/Al₂O₃ composite was the shear ductile fracture.     

Production of high strength Al-Al2O3 composite by accumulative roll bonding

Recently accumulative roll bonding has been used as a novel method to produce particle reinforced metal matrix composites. In this study, aluminum matrix composite reinforced by submicron particulate alumina was successfully produced and the effects of number of ARB cycles and the amount of alumina content on the microstructure and mechanical properties of composites were investigated. According to the results of tensile tests, it is shown that the yield and tensile strengths of the composite are increased with the number of ARB cycles. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) reveals that particles have a random and uniform distribution in the matrix by the ARB cycles and a strong mechanical bonding takes place at the interface of particle-matrix. It is also found that the tensile strength of the composite, as a function of alumina content, has a maximum value at 2 vol.%, which is 5.1 times higher than that of the annealed aluminum.     

High-strength and highly-uniform composite produced by anodizing and accumulative roll bonding processes

The anodizing and accumulative roll bonding (ARB) processes are used in this paper as a new, effective alternative for manufacturing high-strength and highly-uniform aluminum/alumina composites. Four different thicknesses of alumina layers are grown on the substrate using an anodizing process and the microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of the resulting aluminum/alumina composite are investigated. Microscopic investigations of the composite show a uniform distribution of alumina particles in the matrix. It is found that alumina layers produced by the anodizing process neck, fracture, and depart as the number of accumulative roll bonding passes increases. During ARB, it is observed that as strain increases with the number of passes, the strength and elongation of the produced composites correspondingly increase. Also, by increasing alumina quantity, tensile strength improves so that the tensile strength of the Al/3.55 vol.% Al₂O₃ composite becomes ∼3.5 times greater than that of the annealed aluminum used as raw material.     

Evolution of reinforcement distribution in Al–B4C composites during accumulative roll bonding

The distribution of reinforcement particles in the matrix of a composite is one of the most important microstructural features affecting properties. In this study, nanostructured Al–B₄C composite sheets were processed by accumulative roll bonding (ARB), and the effect of the number of ARB cycles on the distribution of the B₄C particles in the Al matrix was evaluated. From optical microscopic studies accompanied by the radial distribution function analysis, it was realized that the microstructure uniformity is improved by increasing the number of ARB cycles. It was in good agreement with bulk hardness measurements in which the standard deviation of the hardness values was decreased by progression of the ARB process. In addition, the X-ray diffraction peak profile analysis revealed that the area weighted mean crystallite size of the Al matrix decreases to the nanometric scale (114 nm) after seven ARB cycles.     

Equicohesive temperature of the interface and matrix and its effect on the tensile plasticity of Al18B4O33 whiskers reinforced aluminum composite at elevated temperatures

A pure aluminum composite reinforced by Al₁₈B₄O₃₃ whiskers was fabricated by a squeeze casting technique. In the present study, it is found that the dependence of tensile plasticity on temperature in Al₁₈B₄O₃₃ whiskers reinforced aluminum composite is different from other discontinuously reinforced aluminum composites. The tensile elongation to fracture of the composite obtains its maximum value at about 573 K, which is considered to be related to the equicohesive temperature of interface and matrix. This will also establish a basis for the research of hot forming process of the composite at elevated temperatures.     

Low temperature extrusion of 6061 aluminum matrix composite reinforced with SnO2-coated Al18B4O33 whisker

The 6061 aluminum matrix composite reinforced with SnO₂-coated Al₁₈B₄O₃₃ whisker was fabricated by squeeze casting and following by extrusion extruded at elevated temperatures from 300 °C to 400 °C. Optimization of the extruding process, microstructure, texture and mechanical properties of the extruded composites were investigated. The lowest extrusion temperature at which a composite rod with high surface quality was successfully produced was 300 °C. The yield strength of composites is much improved after extrusion, and especially their elongation is increased by 300%. Such big improvements depend on a fact that SnO₂ coating can introduce low-melting-point Sn phase into the interface through an interfacial reaction. The melting of interphase and their surrounding areas is the main reason for the excellent extrusion ability of the composite. Besides, detailed X-ray diffraction analysis of the extruded composite textures reveals the significant effects of extrusion temperatures on their features.     

Accumulative press bonding; a novel manufacturing process of nanostructured metal matrix composites

A new manufacturing process for metal matrix composites has been invented, namely accumulative press bonding (APB). The APB process provided an effective method to produce bulk Al/10 vol.% WC_p composite using tungsten carbide (WC) powder and AA1050 aluminum sheets as the raw materials. The microstructural evolutions and mechanical properties of the monolithic aluminum and Al/WC_p composite during various APB cycles were examined by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, X’pert HighScore software, and tensile test equipment. The results revealed that by increasing the number of APB cycles (a) the uniformity of WC particles in aluminum matrix improved, (b) the porosity of the composite eliminated, (c) the particle free zones decreased and (d) the cluster characteristics improved. Hence, the final Al/WC_p composite processed by 14 APB cycles showed a uniform distribution of WC_p throughout the aluminum matrix, strong bonding between particles and matrix, and a microstructure without any porosity and undesirable phases. The X-ray diffraction results also showed that nanostructured Al/WC_p composite with the average crystallite size of 58.4 nm was successfully achieved by employing 14 cycles of APB technique. The tensile strength of the composites enhanced by increasing the number of APB cycles, and reached to a maximum value of 216 MPa at the end of 14th cycle, which is 2.45 and 1.2 times higher than obtained values for annealed (raw material, 88 MPa) and 14 cycles APBed monolithic aluminum (180 MPa), respectively. Though the elongation of Al/WC_p composite lessened during the initial cycles of APB process, it increased at the final cycles of the mentioned process by 78%. Role of WC particles, uniformity of reinforcement, porosity, bonding quality of the reinforcement and matrix, grain refinement, and strain hardening were considered as the strengthening mechanisms in the manufactured composites.     

High-strength and highly-uniform composites produced by compocasting and cold rolling processes

Silicon carbide reinforced aluminum alloy composite materials produced by casting methods are increasingly used in many engineering fields. However, these materials suffer from poor distribution of the reinforcement particles in the matrix and high content of porosity. The effect of subsequent cold rolling process with different reductions on the porosity, microstructure and mechanical properties of cast Al6061/10 vol.% SiC_p composite was investigated in this study. Composites fabricated by compocasting method were rolled at five different reductions of 30, 60, 75, 85 and 95%. The rolled specimens exhibited reduced porosity as well as a more uniform particle distribution when compared with the as-cast samples. Microscopic investigations of the composites after 95% reduction showed an excellent uniform distribution of silicon carbide particles in the matrix. During cold rolling process it was observed that the tensile strength and ductility of the samples increased by increasing the reduction content. After 95% reduction, the tensile strength and elongation values reached 306.7 MPa and 7.9%, which were 4.6 and 3.3 times greater than those of the as-cast composite, respectively.     

An alternative method for manufacturing high-strength CP Ti–SiC composites by accumulative roll bonding process

For the first time, the accumulative roll bonding (ARB) process was used as an effective alternative method for manufacturing Ti–SiC composites and compared with the monolithic ARBed Ti. High-strength monolithic commercially pure titanium (CP Ti) and CP Ti–SiC composites with effective uniform reinforcement distribution were fabricated by this process. The tensile test, Vickers hardness measurements and SEM observations were done for the characterization of materials. A significant increase in yield and tensile strength and a drastic decrease in elongation were observed by applying 8 cycles of ARB process. An unexpectedly slight decrease of yield and tensile strength along with elongation was observed after the sixth ARB cycle for the monolithic sample. It was attributed to the weakening of the bond between the titanium layers in the final cycles. Strength of the composite samples was higher than that of the monolithic sample and did not decrease in the final ARB cycles. This was caused by the significantly improved distribution of SiC particles in the titanium matrix.     

Preparation and properties of nano-SiC strengthening Al2O3 composite ceramics

The processing and mechanical behaviors of Al₂O₃-xwt.%SiC (x = 1, 2, 5, ASx) nano-composites prepared by the in situ synthesis of SiC from polycarbosilane (PCS) were investigated. The composites were densified by hot pressing. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the sintered composites were analyzed. The results showed that a fully dense structure was obtained when a few nano-SiC were doped and that the fracture toughness and strength were highly improved compared with those of monolithic Al₂O₃. The fracture toughness reached 5.1 MPa m^1/2 in AS2 composite. The maximum flexural strength was 516 MPa obtained in AS1 composite.     

Mechanical properties and microstructure of Al2O3/TiAl in situ composites doped with Cr2O3

Al₂O₃/TiAl composites were successfully fabricated from powder mixtures of Ti, Al, TiO₂ and Cr₂O₃ by a hot-press-assisted exothermic dispersion method. The effect of the Cr₂O₃ addition on the microstructures and mechanical properties of Al₂O₃/TiAl composites was characterized, and the results showed that the Rockwell hardness, flexural strength and fracture toughness of the composites increased as the Cr₂O₃ content increased. When the Cr₂O₃ content was 2.5 wt%, the flexural strength and the fracture toughness attained peak values of 925 MPa and 8.55 MPa m^1/2, respectively. This improvement of mechanical properties was due to the more homogeneous and finer microstructure developed from the addition of Cr₂O₃ and an increase in the ratio of α₂-Ti₃Al to γ-TiAl matrix phases.     

Fabrication of aluminium matrix composites reinforced by submicrometre and nanosize Al2O3 via accumulative roll bonding

Abstract

Aluminium matrix composites reinforced with submicrometre and nanosize Al₂O₃ particles were successfully manufactured in the form of sheets through eight cycles of accumulative roll bonding process. The mechanical properties of the produced composite are compared with accumulative roll bonded commercially pure aluminium. It is shown that only 1 vol.-% of submicrometre or nanosize alumina particles as reinforcement in the structure can significantly improve the yield and ultimate tensile strengths. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that particles have a random and uniform distribution in the matrix especially in the less volume fraction of alumina particles, and strong mechanical bonding occurs at the interface of the particle matrix. According to the results of the tensile tests, it is observed that with less alumina content, the composite reinforced by nanosize particles has higher strength than that by submicrometre size particles. However, more reinforcement up to 3 vol.-% of submicrometre particles, as a result of including fewer microstructural defects, leads to better mechanical properties in comparison to the nanoparticle composite.     

Investigations on NiAl composites fabricated by matrix coated single crystalline Al2O3-fibers with and without hBN interlayer

The intermetallic compound NiAl has excellent potential for high temperature structural applications but suffers from low temperature brittleness and insufficient high temperature strength. One way to remove these deficiencies is the reinforcement by high strength ceramic fibers. Such intermetallic matrix composites can be conveniently fabricated by the hot pressing of matrix coated fibers. Al₂O₃ single crystal fibers show excellent chemical stability with the NiAl matrix, but the residual thermal compressive stresses during cool down dramatically degrades the fiber strength and thus, renders the composite useless for structural applications. We report on an experimental and computational study to mitigate this problem and to fabricate Al₂O₃/NiAl composites with sufficient high temperature strength. Analytical TEM, mechanical testing and push-out tests were employed to characterize chemistry, microstructure and mechanical properties of the composites. It will be shown that a processing window exists that allows producing intermetallic matrix composites with promising mechanical properties.     

Influence of cobalt phase on thermal shock resistance of Al2O3-TiC composites evaluated by indentation technique

Cobalt-coated Al₂O₃ and TiC powders were prepared using an electroless method to improve resistance to thermal shock. The mixture of cobalt-coated Al₂O₃ and TiC powders (about 70 wt.% Al₂O₃-Co + 30 wt.% TiC-Co) was hot-pressed into an Al₂O₃-TiC-Co composite. The thermal shock properties of the composite were evaluated by indentation technique and compared with the traditional Al₂O₃-TiC composite. The composites containing 3.96 vol.% cobalt exhibited better resistance to crack propagation, cyclic thermal shock and higher critical temperature difference (ΔT_c). The calculation of thermal shock resistance parameters (R parameters) shows that the incorporation of cobalt improves the resistance to thermal shock fracture and thermal shock damage. The thermal physic parameters are changed very little but the flexure strength and fracture toughness of the composites are improved greatly by introducing cobalt into Al₂O₃-TiC (AT) composites. The better thermal shock resistance of the composites should be attributed to the higher flexure strength and fracture toughness.     

Development of Al356/SiCp cast composites by injection of SiCp containing composite powders

One of the great challenges of producing cast metal matrix composites is the agglomeration tendency of the reinforcements. This would normally result in poor distribution of the particles, high porosity content, and low mechanical properties. In the present work, a new method for uniform distribution of very fine SiC particles with average size of less than 3 μm was employed. The key idea was to allow for gradual in situ release of properly wetted SiC particles in the liquid metal. For this purpose, SiC particles were injected into the melt in three different forms, i.e., untreated SiC_p, milled particulate Al–SiC_p composite powder, and milled particulate Al–SiC_p–Mg composite powder. The resultant composite slurries were then cast from either fully liquid (stir casting) or semisolid (compocasting) state. Consequently, the effects of the casting method and the type of the injected powder on the microstructural characteristics as well as the mechanical properties of the cast composites were investigated. The results showed that the distribution of SiC particles in the matrix and the porosity content of the composites were greatly improved by injecting milled composite powders instead of untreated-SiC particles into the melt. Casting from semisolid state instead of fully liquid state had similar effects. The average size of SiC particles incorporated into the matrix was also significantly reduced from about 8 to 3 μm by injecting milled composite powders. The ultimate tensile strength, yield strength and elongation of Al356/5 vol.%SiC_p composite manufactured by compocasting of the (Al–SiC_p–Mg)_cp injected melt were increased by 90%, 103% and 135%, respectively, compared to those of the composite manufactured by stir casting of the untreated-SiC_p injected melt.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Al/Al2O3 MMC produced by anodising and cold roll bonding

Abstract

In the present paper, Al–Al₂O₃ composite strips are produced by the cold roll bonding process of anodised aluminium strips. This technique has the flexibility to control the volume fraction of metal matrix composites by varying the oxide layer thickness on the anodised aluminium strip. Microhardness, tensile strength and elongation of composite strips are investigated as a function of quantity of alumina and the applied production method. It is found that higher quantities of alumina improve microhardness and tensile strength, while the elongation value decreases negligibly. Furthermore, prerolling annealing is found to be the best method of producing this composite via the cold roll bonding process. Finally, it is found that both monolithic aluminium and aluminium/alumina composite exhibited a ductile fracture, having dimples and shear zones.     

Effect of Nb2O5 on the microstructure and mechanical properties of TiAl based composites produced by hot pressing

In situ composites of TiAl reinforced with Al₂O₃ particles are successfully synthesized from an elemental powder mixture of Ti, Al and Nb₂O₅ by the hot-press-assisted reaction synthesis (HPRS) method. The as-prepared composites are mainly composed of TiAl, Al₂O₃, NbAl₃, as well as small amounts of the Ti₃Al phase. The in situ formed fine Al₂O₃ particles tend to disperse on the matrix grain boundaries of TiAl resulting in an excellent combination of matrix grain refinement and uniform Al₂O₃ distribution in the composites. The Rockwell hardness and densities of TiAl based composites increase gradually with increasing Nb₂O₅ content, and the flexural strength and fracture toughness of the composites have the maximum values of 634 MPa and 9.78 MPa m^1/2, respectively, when the Nb₂O₅ content reaches 6.62 wt.%. The strengthening mechanism was also discussed.     

Friction and wear of P/M Al-20Si-Al2O3 composites in kerosene

The results of friction and wear of powder metallurgy (P/M) Al-20 wt% Si-3 wt% Cu-1 wt% Mg-(2.5–10) vol% Al₂O₃ particulate-reinforced composites have been compared with those of the P/M aluminium alloy matrix and A-390 cast piston aluminium alloy. It was found that Al₂O₃ reinforcement reduces wear by five to eight times when mating with cast iron in kerosene: The higher the reinforcement volume, the lower was the wear. With increased volume of reinforcement the wear mechanism of composites changed from the adhesive to the fatigue/delaminating one. The wear of the cast-iron counter sample was several times higher than that for P/M composites. Considering the life of the piston-piston ring couple, the piston composite with 10 vol% Al₂O₃ appears to be the best. The rate of clearance development for this couple is twice as low as that for the conventional piston alloys.     

Fabrication of 5052Al/Al2O3 nanoceramic particle reinforced composite via friction stir processing route

In this research, microstructure and mechanical properties of 5052Al/Al₂O₃ surface composite fabricated by friction stir processing (FSP) and effect of different FSP pass on these properties were investigated. Two series of samples with and without powder were friction stir processed by one to four passes. Tensile test was used to evaluate mechanical properties of the composites and FSP zones. Also, microstructural observations were carried out using optical and scanning electron microscopes. Results showed that grain size of the stir zone decreased with increasing of FSP pass and the composite fabricated by four passes had submicron mean grain size. Also, increase in the FSP pass caused uniform distribution of Al₂O₃ particles in the matrix and fabrication of nano-composite after four passes with mean cluster size of 70 nm. Tensile test results indicated that tensile and yield strengths were higher and elongation was lower for composites fabricated by three and four passes in comparison to the friction stir processed materials produced without powder in the similar conditions and all FSP samples had higher elongation than base metal. In the best conditions, tensile strength and elongation of base material improved to 118% and 165% in composite fabricated by four passes respectively.