Consolidation of Al2O3/Al Nanocomposite Powder by Cold Spray

While the improvement in mechanical properties of nanocomposites makes them attractive materials for structural applications, their processing still presents significant challenges. In this article, cold spray was used to consolidate milled Al and Al₂O₃/Al nanocomposite powders as well as the initial unmilled and unreinforced Al powder. The microstructure and nanohardness of the feedstock powders as well as those of the resulting coatings were compared. The results show that the large increase in hardness of the Al powder after mechanical milling is preserved after cold spraying. Good quality coating with low porosity is obtained from milled Al. However, the addition of Al₂O₃ to the Al powder during milling decreases the powder and coating nanohardness. This lower hardness is attributed to non-optimized milling parameters leading to cracked particles with insufficient Al₂O₃ embedding in Al. The coating produced from the milled Al₂O₃/Al mixture also showed lower particle cohesion and higher amount of porosity.     

Wear and oxidation resistance of Al2O3 particle dispersed Al3Ti composite with a nanostructure prepared by pulsed electric current sintering of mechanically alloyed powders

Al₃Ti-matrix composite layers containing Al₂O₃ particles were formed on Ti substrate by pulsed electric current sintering (PECS) of mechanically alloyed (MA) powders to improve the wear and oxidation properties of the Ti substrate. Reducing the grain size of each element by MA makes the combustion synthesis of Al₃Ti possible at a lower temperature. The grain size formed by the combustion synthesis of Al–Ti–Al₂O₃ powder mechanically alloyed for 720 ks was about 10 nm and its growth during sintering was suppressed by the existence of Al₂O₃. The densification behavior of the powder was investigated quantitatively. The obtained Al₃Ti/Al₂O₃ composite layer showed better wear and oxidation resistance than the monolithic Al₃Ti layer.     

Mechanical Properties and Thermal Shock Resistance of Al2O3-TiC-Co Composites

Ductile cobalt was introduced into Al₂O₃-TiC (AT) composites by using a chemical deposition method to improve toughness and resistance to thermal shock. The mixture of Co-coated Al₂O₃ and TiC powders was hot-pressed into an Al₂O₃-TiC-Co (ATC) composite. The flexure strength and fracture toughness of the ATC composites have been improved considerably, compared with AT and Al₂O₃. The fracture surface of ATC shows a large proportion of transgranular cracks with some intergranular type, unlike the intergranular fracture modes of AT and Al₂O₃. The thermal shock properties of the composites were evaluated by water quenching technique and compared with the traditional AT and Al₂O₃. The composites containing only 3.96 vol.% cobalt exhibited higher critical temperature difference and retained flexure strength. The SEM examination of the fracture surfaces of the ATC composites after single thermal cycle showed that voids increased in number and size, and most isolated voids coalesced with increasing temperature difference, which caused the density and strength to decrease. The ATC composite is less sensitive to repeated thermal shock than the AT composite.     

The effect of Al2O3 addition on the milling behavior of NiAl powder

The milling behavior of nickel aluminide, NiAl, powder in the presence of a fine Al ₂ O ₃ powder was investigated in the present study. The milling was carried out in an attrition mill. The size and shape of NiAl particles were not changed after milling while only NiAl powder was milled. When fine Al ₂ O ₃ powder was added to the NiAl powder, the Al ₂ O ₃ particles attached to the surface of NiAl particles during milling. As a consequence, the size of NiAl particles was reduced after milling. The shape of NiAl particles also changed. The presence of fine Al ₂ O ₂ particles enhanced the milling efficiency. The Al ₂ O ₃ particles on the surface of NiAl powder can be removed by washing repeatedly in an ultrasonic bath.     

Effect of Al2O3 content and swaging on microstructure and mechanical properties of Al2O3/W alloys

Al₂O₃-reinfored tungsten alloys were fabricated by powder metallurgy method and hot swaging technology. The investigation was made on the microstructure, relative density, nano-hardness and fracture toughness (K_IC) of the sintered and swaged Al₂O₃/W alloys. The swaging process and addition of Al₂O₃ are beneficial to comprehensive properties of the sintered and swaged alloys. After swaging, the Al₂O₃/W alloys can achieve the full density. According to the nano-indentation test and three-point bend test, the swaged W-0.25 wt% Al₂O₃ alloy possesses the highest hardness of 7.02 GPa, the greatest modulus of 435.09 GPa and the maximum fracture toughness of 21 MPa·m^1/2. The observation of fracture morphology shows that the recrystallization behavior and grain growth occur above 1400 °C in the swaged pure W alloy, which leads to recrystallization brittleness. At the same time, the microstructure of the swaged W-0.25 wt% Al₂O₃ alloy does not change apparently.     

Preparation and characterization of Mo/Al2O3 composites

In order to improve the performance of molybdenum, the Mo/Al₂O₃ composites were prepared by using a hydrothermal method for the synthesis of the precursor powders and subsequent powder metallurgical processing. The morphologies of the composite powders and the microstructures and properties of the composites were investigated. Compared with the pure Mo powder, the grains of composite powders are smaller because of the existence of the fine Al₂O₃ particles. The results from the sintered composites show that the fine Al₂O₃ particles are evenly distributed in the Mo matrix and well bonded with the Mo matrix. With increasing Al₂O₃ content, all the values of the micro-hardness, compressive strength and flow stress at 0.08 strain are increased. The strengthening effect is more remarkable at elevated temperatures. At room temperature, the compressive strength and the flow stress at 0.08 strain of the composite with 40 vol.% Al₂O₃ are 1.67 and 2.01 times greater than those of pure molybdenum, respectively, while the values are up to 2.02 and 2.52 at 1100 °C.     

Fabrication of dense Al2O3-FeAl composites by using solid-state sintering

Highly densified alumina-iron aluminide (Al₂O₃-FeAl) composites consisting of ubiquitous elements were fabricated by using pulse current sintering technique under a certain uni-axial pressure. The solid-state sintering without melting FeAl was the highlight in this study. The mechanical properties of the Al₂O₃-FeAl composites were much greater than previously reported ones fabricated by reaction sintering technique. The poor wettability of FeAl against Al₂O₃ strongly influenced the mechanical properties and made it difficult to be highly densified Al₂O₃-FeAl composites by liquid phase sintering especially when volume fraction of FeAl to Al₂O₃-FeAl was high (>30.5 vol%). However, highly densified Al₂O₃-FeAl composites were obtained by solid-state sintering with control of Al₂O₃ grain size and sintering temperatures. It was concluded that highly controlled powder metallurgy made it possible to fabricate dense ceramic-metal (intermetallic) composites from the combination of materials having poor wettability.     

Microstructure of Suspension Plasma Spray and Air Plasma Spray Al2O3-ZrO2 Composite Coatings

Al₂O₃-ZrO₂ coatings were deposited by the suspension plasma spray (SPS) molecularly mixed amorphous powder and the conventional air plasma spray (APS) Al₂O₃-ZrO₂ crystalline powder. The amorphous powder was produced by heat treatment of molecularly mixed chemical solution precursors below their crystallization temperatures. Phase composition and microstructure of the as-synthesized and heat-treated SPS and APS coatings were characterized by XRD and SEM. XRD analysis shows that the as-sprayed SPS coating is composed of α-Al₂O₃ and tetragonal ZrO₂ phases, while the as-sprayed APS coating consists of tetragonal ZrO₂, α-Al₂O₃, and γ-Al₂O₃ phases. Microstructure characterization revealed that the Al₂O₃ and ZrO₂ phase distribution in SPS coatings is much more homogeneous than that of APS coatings.     

BN/Al2O3 复合粉末及其聚合物基复合材料的制备与导热性能

采用固-液相共混法制备了多种BN/Al₂O₃复合粉末,通过冻融法和表面修饰法对BN进行了改性处理,改变表面修饰剂类型和摩尔比得到了前驱体和烧结态BN/Al₂O₃复合粉末,并利用机械混合法制备了聚合物基BN/Al₂O₃复合材料,并测试分析了其导热性能。结果表明,经冻融处理的BN分散性和界面相容性明显优于未经冻融处理的BN。多巴胺对BN的改性效果优于聚乙二醇。采用多巴胺作为表面修饰剂且BN与Al(NO₃)₃的摩尔比为1:1时,能够得到纳米Al₂O₃均匀包覆的微米BN粉末,即BN/Al₂O₃微纳复合粉末,其聚合物基复合材料的导热系数可达0.62 W·m^-1·K^-1,是纯聚合物导热系数的3倍,是采用纯微米BN粉末制备的聚合物基复合材料导热系数的1.5倍。在BN表面附着的Al₂O₃可以形成层状热传导通道,能够有效提高聚合物基BN/Al₂O₃复合材料的热导率。     

Reactive Plasma Spraying of Fine Al2O3/AlN Feedstock Powder

Reactive plasma spraying (RPS) is a promising technology for in situ formation of aluminum nitride (AlN) coatings. Recently, AlN-based coatings were fabricated by RPS of alumina (Al₂O₃) powder in N₂/H₂ thermal plasma. This study investigated the feasibility of RPS of a fine Al₂O₃/AlN mixture and the influence of the plasma gases (N₂, H₂) on the nitriding conversion, and coating microstructure and properties. Thick AlN/Al₂O₃ coatings with high nitride content were successfully fabricated. The coatings consist of h-AlN, c-AlN, Al₅O₆N, γ-Al₂O₃, and a small amount of α-Al₂O₃. Use of fine particles enhanced the nitriding conversion and the melting tendency by increasing the surface area. Furthermore, the AlN additive improved the AlN content in the coatings. Increasing the N₂ gas flow rate improved the nitride content and complete crystal growth to the h-AlN phase, and enhanced the coating thickness. On the other hand, though the H₂ gas is required for plasma nitriding of the Al₂O₃ particles, increasing its flow rate decreased the nitride content and the coating thickness. Remarkable influence of the plasma gases on the coating composition, microstructure, and properties was observed during RPS of the fine particles.     

Effects of SiC interfacial coating on mechanical properties of carbon fiber needled felt reinforced sol-derived Al2O3 composites

3D carbon fiber needled felt and polycarbosilane-derived SiC coating were selected as reinforcement and interfacial coating, respectively, and the sol−impregnation−drying−heating (SIDH) route was used to fabricate C/Al₂O₃ composites. The effects of SiC interfacial coating on the mechanical properties, oxidation resistance and thermal shock resistance of C/Al₂O₃ composites were investigated. It is found that the fracture toughness of C/Al₂O₃ composites was remarkably superior to that of monolithic Al₂O₃ ceramics. The introduction of SiC interfacial coating obviously improved the strengths of C/Al₂O₃ composites although the fracture work diminished to some extent. Owing to the tight bonding between SiC coating and carbon fiber, the C/SiC/Al₂O₃ composites showed much better oxidation and thermal shock resistance over C/Al₂O₃ composites under static air.     

Al2O3 eliminating defects in the Al coating by laser cladding to improve corrosion and wear resistance of Mg alloy

Although Al produces a solid metallurgical bonding with Mg alloy substrates, micropores or crevices in the Al coating can reduce the resistance of Mg alloy to corrosion. In this study, a composite coating with a defect-free microstructure was prepared on the AZ31 Mg alloy substrate by introducing Al₂O₃ into the Al matrix via the method of laser cladding. On the one hand, Al₂O₃ with thermal insulation had a low thermal expansion coefficient and was not very prone to voids during laser melting. On the other hand, Al₂O₃ particles with a small size acted as the filler in the micropores or crevices. The Al/Al₂O₃ coating exhibited a smaller current density (2.1 × 10⁻⁶ A/cm²) in comparison with those of bare substrate and Al coating (158.4 × 10⁻⁶ and 3.1 × 10⁻⁶ A/cm², respectively), which was mainly ascribed to the pore-free microstructure and high resistance to corrosion of Al₂O₃ phase. A favorable microhardness value of 95.3 HV was achieved for Al/Al₂O₃ coating, approximately 1.8 times higher than that of Al coating (52.8 V), which was mainly ascribed to the dispersion hardening of Al₂O₃ phase. Meanwhile, the Al/Al₂O₃ coating significantly reduced wear volume from 2.8 mm³/m of Al coating to 0.4 mm³/m, showing great potential for weight reduction applications.     

The effect of an Al2O3 dispersion on the adhesion of Al2O3 scales on aluminized Co-10% Cr alloys

The beneficial effect of dispersions of reactive-metal oxide particles on the adhesion of Cr₂O₃ and Al₂O₃ scales formed on heat-resisting alloys is wellknown. It has been shown that an Al₂O₃ dispersion in an alloy can improve the adhesion of a Cr₂O₃ scale, and it is of particular interest in assessing the various theoretical proposals for the effect to determine whether such a dispersion can affect the adhesion of an Al₂O₃ scale. In this investigation, a Co–10% Cr–1 % Al alloy was first internally oxidized to form an Al₂O₃ dispersion. This alloy was then aluminized so that on subsequent oxidation an Al₂O₃ scale developed. It was shown that the dispersion did indeed improve the scale adhesion. The implications of this result are discussed.     

Fabrication of Al matrix composite reinforced with submicrometer-sized Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> particles formed by combustion reaction between HEMM Al and V<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>5</Subscript> composite particles during sintering

To fabricate an Al-V matrix composite reinforced with submicron-sized Al₂O₃ and Al_xV_y (Al₃V, Al₁₀V) phases, high energy mechanical milling (HEMM) and sintering were employed. By increasing the milling time, the size of mechanically milled powder was significantly reduced. In this study, the average powder size of 59 μm for Al, and 178 μm for V₂O₅ decreased with the formation of a new product, Al-Al₂O₃-Al_xV_y, with a size range from 1.3 μm to 2.6 μm formed by the in-situ combustion reaction during sintering of HEM milled Al and V₂O₅ composite powders. The in-situ reaction between Al and V₂O₅ during the HEMM and sintering transformed the Al₂O₃ and Al_xV_y (Al₃V, Al₁₀V) phases. Most of the reduced V reacted with excess the Al to form Al_xV_y (Al₃V, Al₁₀V) with very little V dissolved into Al matrix. By increasing the milling time and weight percentage of V₂O₅, the hardness of the Al-Al₂O₃-Al_xV_y composite sintered at 1173 K increased. The composite fabricated with the HEMM Al-20wt.%V₂O₅ composite powder and sintering at 1173 K for 2 h had the highest hardness.     

Development of Si3Na/Al composite by pressureless melt infiltration

Pressureless infiltration process to synthesize Si3N4/Al composite was investigated. Al-2%Mg alloy was infiltrated into Si3N4 and Si3N4 containing 10% Al2O3 preforms in the atmosphere of nitrogen. It is possible to infiltrate Al-2%Mg alloy in Si3N4 and Si3N4 containing 10% Al2O3 preforms. The growth of the dense composite of useful thickness was facilitated by the presence of magnesium powder at the interface and by flowing nitrogen. During infiltration Si3N4 reacted with aluminium to form Si and AIN, the growth of composite was found to proceed in two ways, depending on the Al2O3 content in the initial preform. Firstly, preform without Al2O3 content gives rise to AIN, Al3.27Si0.47 and Al type phases after infiltration. Secondly, perform with 10% Al2O3 content gives rise to AIN-Al2O3 solid solution phase （AION）, MgAl2O4, Al and Si type phases. AlON phase was only present in composite, containing 10% Al2O3 in the Si3N4 preforms before infiltration.     

Preparation and formation mechanism of Al2O3 nanoparticles by reverse microemulsion

Al2O3 nanoparticles were prepared by polyethylene glycol octylphenyl ether（Triton X-100）/n-butyl alcohol/cyclohexane/ water W/O reverse microemulsion. The proper calcination temperature was determined at 1 150 ℃ by thermal analysis of the precursor products. The structures and morphologies of Al2O3 nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and UV-Vis spectra. The influences of mole ratio of water to surfactant on the morphologies and the sizes of the Al2O3 nanoparticles were studied. With the increase of surfactant content, the particles size becomes larger. The agglomeration of nanoparticles was solved successfully. And the formation mechanisms of Al2O3 nanoparticles in the reverse microemulsion were also discussed.     

Effect of reacted compounds in Al2O3+Ti investment mold on alpha-case formation for Ti casting

This paper proposes a newly developed alpha-case controlled mold material for Ti castings. An Al₂O₃ mold containing alpha-case reaction compounds, titanium oxide (TiO₂, Ti₂O and Ti₆O) and titanium silicide (Ti₅Si₃) was manufactured via a reaction between Al₂O₃ and Ti powder under different firing conditions in air and a vacuum. In comparison with the Al₂O₃ and Al₂O₃+Ti mold fired in a vacuum, the micro-Vickers hardness and nano indentation profiles of Al₂O₃+Ti indicated that the alpha-case thickness was significantly reduced from 350 μm to ～45 μm. The alpha-case formation in the Al₂O₃+Ti mold was reduced due to the presence of TiO₂, which formed the TiO intermediate phase that acted as a diffusion barrier. In addition, Ti₅Si₃ was effective in minimizing Si contamination at the casting surface due to the reaction between Ti and the colloidal SiO₂ binder. Therefore, alpha-case reaction compounds, such as TiO₂ and Ti₅Si₃ in Al₂O₃, can effectively reduce alpha-case formation at the casting surface.     

Mechanochemical reaction between ilmenite (FeTiO3) and aluminium

A natural ilmenite (FeTiO₃) and aluminium powder have been mechanically milled together for 100 h in a laboratory ball mill. The as-milled powder and an unmilled powder of identical composition were annealed at up to 1200°C and examined by X-ray diffraction and differential thermal analysis (DTA). The unmilled sample showed aluminium melted prior to an exothermic reaction starting at 850°C. The milled powder showed no thermal activity, other than a reversible phase transition at 1067±4°C, indicating that reaction occurred within the mill. The products of both powders were the same, TiAl₃, Fe₄Al₁₃ and Al₂O₃, although in the milled powder these phases were nanocrystalline until annealing caused crystallite growth. The thermal reaction seemed to occur in two stages, formation of TiAl₃, Al₂O₃ and elemental iron followed by a slower, diffusion controlled reaction between the elemental iron and residual aluminium to form Fe₄Al₁₃. The reaction during milling was attributed to increased intermixing between the ilmenite and aluminium causing a change in the rate determining step from solid-state diffusion to another, unknown, controlling mechanism.     

Thermal reliabilities of Sn-0.5Ag-0.7Cu-0.1Al2O3/Cu solder joint

The effects of trace addition of Al₂O₃ nanoparticles (NPs) on thermal reliabilities of Sn-0.5Ag-0.7Cu/Cu solder joints were investigated. Experimental results showed that trace addition of Al₂O₃ NPs could increase the isotheraml aging (IA) and thermal cyclic (TC) lifetimes of Sn-0.5Ag-0.7Cu/Cu joint from 662 to 787 h, and from 1597 to 1824 cycles, respectively. Also, trace addition of Al₂O₃ NPs could slow down the shear force reduction of solder joint during thermal services, which was attributed to the pinning effect of Al₂O₃ NPs on hindering the growth of grains and interfacial intermetallic compounds (IMCs). Theoretically, the growth coefficients of interfacial IMCs in IA process were calculated to be decreased from 1.61×10^-10 to 0.79×10^-10 cm²/h in IA process, and from 0.92×10^-10 to 0.53×10^-10 cm²/h in TC process. This indicated that trace addition of Al₂O₃ NPs can improve both IA and TC reliabilities of Sn-0.5Ag- 0.7Cu/Cu joint, and a little more obvious in IA reliability.     

Synthesis and characterization of Al2O3–TiC nano-composite by spark plasma sintering

Al₂O₃–10TiC composite was synthesized by high energy ball milling followed by spark plasma sintering (SPS) process. Microstructure of the sintered composite samples reveals homogeneous distribution of the TiC particles in Al₂O₃ matrix. Effect of sintering temperature on the microstructure and mechanical properties was studied. The sample sintered at 1500 °C shows a measured density of 99.97% of their theoretical density and hardness of 1892 Hv with very high scratch resistance. These results demonstrate that powder metallurgy combined with spark plasma sintering is a suitable method for the production of Al₂O₃–10TiC composites.