Microstructure and mechanical behavior assessment of Al–Cu composites fabricated through stir casting

In this work, Al–Cu composite metallic materials are produced by dispersing copper particulates in an aluminum matrix using stir casting technique. In order to know the effect of reinforcement content, composites with varying weight fractions were fabricated. For comparison purpose, Al–Cu alloy is also fabricated and investigated. Increased densities have been observed with increasing particulate contents. Homogenization treatment has improved the hardness to a larger extent for both alloy and composites, particularly for rich composites. Composite with lean mixture of reinforcements has shown improvement in specific strength, whereas drop in specific strength has been observed for rich mixture of reinforcements. However, hardness is improved from 5% to 15% reinforcement content. Drop in strain has been observed for higher reinforcement composites. Response to cold upsetting is noticeable for lean composite which is on par with the alloy.     

Effect of carbide ceramics and coke on the properties of dispersion strengthened aluminium-silicon7-magnesium hybrid composites

In this study, aluminium-silicon7-magnesium alloy was reinforced with carbide ceramics (silicon carbide and boron carbide) and coke microparticles. The composite samples (S1, S2, and S3) with 4 %, 8 %, and 12 % by weight of silicon carbide and boron carbide microparticles and 8 % by weight of coke micro particles respectively, were prepared through the ultrasonic assisted melt-stir casting route. It was observed from the literature that only a few research works reported the cumulative effect of adding these micro-particulate reinforcements within aluminium-silicon7-magnesium alloy. The microstructural evaluation revealed uniform dispersion of particulate reinforcements. Area energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy scan results proved the presence of the reinforcement particles as heterogeneous phases at distinct zones. The samples undergone tensile tests failed under the brittle fracture mode. The ultimate tensile strength of the composites improved by about 27.4 %, the % elongation improved by about 6.8 %, and Vickers microhardness dropped 1.9 % to the maximum. Dimples were observed in the fracture morphology analysis and it was mainly due to the mixed ductility of the sample S2. An abrasive wear mechanism was observed in the worn-out sample S2. The wear rate decreased significantly with an increase in weight fraction of the reinforcements.     

激光熔化沉积(TiB+TiC)/TA15原位钛基复合材料的显微组织与力学性能

利用激光熔化沉积工艺制备了TiB+TiC增强相体积分数分别为9%、11%、22%及57%的4种(TiB+TiC)/TA15原位钛基复合材料。随增强相含量提高,TiB形态由片层状向棱柱状转化,TiC形态由不规则颗粒状向枝晶状转化,钛基复合材料硬度及弹性模量均显著提高而塑性明显下降。增强相体积分数约为9%的复合材料表现出较好的综合力学性能,增强相体积分数大于11%后复合材料的抗拉强度急剧降低。与激光熔化沉积态TA15钛合金相比,TiB+TiC增强相体积分数约为9%的复合材料抗拉强度（1040 MPa）及屈服强度（935 MPa）均提高约12%。      

Investigation on mechanical properties and tribological behaviour of stir cast LM13 aluminium alloy based particulate hybrid composites

LM13 aluminium alloy with boron carbide (0 wt.%–7.5 wt.%) and fly ash (2.5 wt.%) reinforced particulate hybrid composites were fabricated using liquid metallurgy route. Microstructure and mechanical properties viz., hardness, ultimate tensile strength and ductility were investigated. Wear behaviour of composites was tested by varying sliding distance and load. Fracture surface and worn surface of composites were examined using field emission scanning electron microscope. Microstructure of hybrid composites revealed uniform dispersion of particles in LM13 aluminium alloy. Hardness and tensile strength of composites increased with increasing wt.% of boron carbide and fly ash particles. Wear test results showed that addition of particles significantly decreased the weight loss and coefficient of friction. Also cumulative weight loss decreased up to 47.2 % for 10 wt.% of hybrid composites as compared to LM13 aluminium alloy. Fracture surface of composites showed dimples with particle cracking on the surface. Worn surface of LM13 aluminium alloy showed continuous grooves due to ploughing with delamination. However, worn surface of composites showed fine grooves due to the presence of hard reinforcements on the surface. Boron carbide and fly ash reinforced LM13 aluminium hybrid composites exhibited superior mechanical properties with excellent wear resistance as compared to LM13 aluminium alloy.     

亚微米级Al2O3颗粒增强LD2铝合金复合材料的拉伸性能与强化机制

为克服颗粒增强铝基复合材料的强度低、脆性大、机械加工难等问题, 选用平均直径为0.15Lm, 细小且接近圆形的Al₂O₃颗粒增强LD2铝合金, 对其铸态材料和挤压材料的室温及高温拉伸性能进行了考察和组织分析, 结果发现: 颗粒尺寸小到亚微米级之后, 材料的组织中极难观察到位错, 增强机制也有所变化。在30～ 40% 体积率的挤压材上得到了640～ 760M Pa 拉伸强度和8. 6～2% 的延伸率, 增强率达到了212% , 获得了高强度、高塑性、易加工性的复合材料。      

Continuous carbon nanotube reinforced composites

Carbon nanotubes are considered short fibers, and polymer composites with nanotube fillers are always analogues of random, short fiber composites. The real structural carbon fiber composites, on the other hand, always contain carbon fiber reinforcements where fibers run continuously through the composite matrix. With the recent optimization in aligned nanotube growth, samples of nanotubes in macroscopic lengths have become available, and this allows the creation of composites that are similar to the continuous fiber composites with individual nanotubes running continuously through the composite body. This allows the proper utilization of the extreme high modulus and strength predicted for nanotubes in structural composites. Here, we fabricate such continuous nanotube polymer composites with continuous nanotube reinforcements and report that under compressive loadings, the nanotube composites can generate more than an order of magnitude improvement in the longitudinal modulus (up to 3,300%) as well as damping capability (up to 2,100%). It is also observed that composites with a random distribution of nanotubes of same length and similar filler fraction provide three times less effective reinforcement in composites.     

Micropyretic synthesis of Ni-Al intermetallic composites

Ni3Al and NiAl intermetallic compounds and their composites are potential structural materials for high-temperature applications. Among the composites with different types of reinforcements, particulate-reinforced composites possess several advantages, such as isotropic properties, lower costs of reinforcement and easy fabrication. Particulate-reinforced composites also allow for a wider range of component geometry. In this article, Ni-Al-Cu composites with CeO2 particulates were prepared using the micropyretic synthesis techniques. The effect of chemical composition on the processing response parameters, the phases of products, the microstructure and mechanical properties of the composites were studied. X-ray diffraction results indicated that the phases of the synthesized composites were critically dependent upon the aluminium content. The final porosity of the composites decreased with an increase in the aluminium content. The flexural bending test showed a variation in the flexural strength of the composites with changing microstructure. The flexural strength and the elastic modulus increased with the aluminium content and the final density. This revised version was published online in November 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Physical and mechanical behavior of hot rolled HDPE/HA composites

In the present study hydroxyapatite (HA) reinforced high-density polyethylene (HDPE) composites were synthesized with possible application as orthopedic implants. HDPE was reinforced with HA particles using a novel hot rolling technique that facilitated uniform dispersion and blending of the reinforcements in the matrix. Composites were processed with up to 50 wt.% HA particles. Scanning Electron Microscopy studies confirmed uniform particle distribution of the reinforcement. Mechanical properties of the composites were examined by tensile tests. Increasing volume fraction of reinforcement from 10–50 wt.% resulted in a 150% increase in elastic modulus and 20% increase in tensile strength. Differential Scanning Calorimetry, Fourier Transformed Infrared spectroscopy and X-ray Diffraction studies indicate that the new blending process can be used to synthesize a crystalline, uniformly reinforced composite having chemical affinity between the matrix and reinforcement.     

High performance thermoplastic composite from flat knitted multi-layer textile preform using hybrid yarn

Modern flat knitting machines using high performance yarns are able to knit fabrics including the reinforcement yarns arranged differently into knit structures. Due to their improved mechanical properties, composites made from multi-layer knit fabrics show great potential in lightweight applications. This paper reports on the development of flat knitted multi-layer textile preforms for high performance thermoplastic composites using hybrid yarns made of glass (GF) and polypropylene (PP) filaments. Such textile preforms with different reinforcements were used to consolidate into 2D thermoplastic composites. Moreover, the mechanical properties of these composites were studied. The mechanical properties of 2D composites were found to be greatly affected by different arrangements of reinforcement yarns. The integration of reinforcement yarns as biaxial inlays (warp and weft yarns) is found to be the best solution for knitting, whereas tuck stitch shaped and unidirectional arranged reinforcements offer also promising application possibilities.     

Effect of electrophoretically deposited carbon nanotubes on the interface of carbon fiber reinforced epoxy composite

The interface between reinforcing fiber and matrix is a crucial element in composite performance. Homogeneous and interconnected carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were deposited onto the surface of carbon fibers to produce multiscale reinforcement by electrophoretic deposition (EPD). Single fiber tensile tests showed that the tensile strength and Weibull modulus of the resulting multiscale materials were increased by 16 and 41%, respectively. Compared with as-received carbon fibers, CNTs-deposited carbon fibers provided the decreased surface energy by 20% and the increased adhesion work by 22% using modified Wilhelmy method. Results from single fiber pull-out testing showed that a significant improvement (up to 68.8%) of interfacial shear strength was obtained for the composites containing by CNTs/Carbon fiber multiscale reinforcement. All results strongly suggest that EPD process can provide a feasible platform for improving interface properties of advanced composites.     

Static and dynamic compressive properties of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) with hybrid steel fiber reinforcements

Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) is promising in construction of concrete structures that suffer impact and explosive loads. In order to make UHPC structures more ductile and cost-effective, hybrid fiber reinforcements are often incorporated. In this study, a reference UHPC mixture with no fiber reinforcement and five mixtures with a single type of fiber reinforcement or hybrid fiber reinforcements of 6 and 13 mm in length at a total dosage of 2%, by the volume of concrete, were prepared. Quasi-static compressive and flexural properties of those mixtures were investigated. Split Hopkinson press bar (SHPB) testing was adopted to evaluate their dynamic compressive properties under three impact velocities. Test results indicated that UHPC with 1.5% long fiber reinforcements and 0.5% short fiber reinforcements demonstrated the best static and dynamic mechanical properties. The static compressive and flexural strengths of UHPC with 2% long fiber reinforcements were greater than those with 2% short fiber reinforcements, whereas comparable dynamic compressive properties were observed. Strain rate effect was observed for the dynamic compressive properties, including peak stress, dynamic increase factor, and absorbed energy. The reinforcing mechanisms of hybrid fiber reinforcements in UHPC were eventually discussed.     

Tribological properties of powder metallurgy – Processed aluminium self lubricating hybrid composites with SiC additions

In this experimental study, aluminium (Al)-based graphite (Gr) and silicon carbide (SiC) particle-reinforced, self-lubricating hybrid composite materials were manufactured by powder metallurgy. The tribological and mechanical properties of these composite materials were investigated under dry sliding conditions. The results of the tests revealed that the SiC-reinforced hybrid composites exhibited a lower wear loss compared to the unreinforced alloy and Al–Gr composites. It was found that with an increase in the SiC content, the wear resistance increased monotonically with hardness. The hybridisation of the two reinforcements also improved the wear resistance of the composites, especially under high sliding speeds. Additionally, the wear loss of the hybrid composites decreased with increasing applied load and sliding distance, and a low friction coefficient and low wear loss were achieved at high sliding speeds. The composite with 5 wt.% Gr and 20 wt.% SiC showed the greatest improvement in tribological performance. The wear mechanism was studied through worn surface and wear debris analysis as well as microscopic examination of the wear tracks. This study revealed that the addition of both a hard reinforcement (e.g., SiC) and soft reinforcement (e.g., graphite) significantly improves the wear resistance of aluminium composites. On the whole, these results indicate that the hybrid aluminium composites can be considered as an outstanding material where high strength and wear-resistant components are of major importance, predominantly in the aerospace and automotive engineering sectors.     

Strength of thermally exposed alumina fibers Part I Single filament behavior

The strength of a continuous-fiber-reinforced ceramic composite is directly related to the strength distribution of the reinforcements. Therefore, it is essential to understand how processing and service conditions affect the filament strength distribution. The objective of this paper was to determine the strength distribution of Nextel 610 alumina filaments, a potential reinforcement in oxide-oxide ceramic composites, and to characterize the defect population as a function of exposure temperature. The filament strength was measured in single filament tests and decreased as the exposure temperature increased. The defect population was quantified via fractography, and eight distinct defect types were identified. Grain growth and filament-to-filament sintering were identified as critical microstructural changes during the heat treatments, and both affected the development of grain boundary grooves, either from thermal etching or from the breaking of the filament-to-filament sintering bonds. The initial crack path was intergranular but quickly changed to a mixture of transgranular and intergranular fracture. During catastrophic crack growth, the crack path changed back to intergranular. The critical crack size, as calculated from linear elastic fracture mechanics, was found in many cases to be greater than the size of the strength limiting defect suggesting the presence of subcritical cracking.     

The effect of filler loading and process route on the three-point bend performance of waste based composites

The three-point bend behaviour of polyester resin composites loaded with high volume fractions of recycled waste materials has been investigated to determine the effect of composition and processing route on performance.

Flyash powder and quarry waste were chosen as candidate fillers. Fillers were added either separately or combined. Three-point bend specimens were manufactured by conventional gravity mould casting, by degassing prior to casting or by vibration moulding. The addition of filler to the resin matrix resulted in a steady reduction in ultimate flexural strength from approximately 85 MPa for the pure resin to approximately 40 MPa for 50% filled material. As filler levels were increased above this level, the strength rapidly decreased. A corresponding increase in flexural stiffness with increasing filler amount was also evident.

For a given amount of filler, flexural strength decreased with increasing particulate filler size. The flexural modulus appeared to be unaffected.

The effect of matrix reinforcement on the performance of heavily filled (>75% by volume) polyester resin is also presented. Matrix reinforcement resulted in the production of high strength/high modulus materials with filler contents up to 75% and it is envisaged that these filler ratios can by further increased without a loss of flexural strength.     

Influence of chemical surface modification on the properties of biodegradable jute fabrics—polyester amide composites

The chemical surface modifications of jute fabrics involving bleaching, dewaxing, alkali treatment, cyanoethylation and vinyl grafting are made in view of their use as reinforcing agents in composites based on a biodegradable polyester amide matrix, BAK 1095. The effect of different fibre surface treatments and fabric amounts on the performance of resulting composites are investigated. The mechanical properties of composites like tensile and bending strengths increase as a result of surface modification. Among all modifications, alkali treatment and cyanoethylation result in improved properties of the composites. The tensile strength of BAK is increased by more than 40% as a result of reinforcement with alkali treated jute fabrics. SEM investigations show that the surface modifications improve the fibre–matrix interaction. From degradation studies we find that after 15 days of compost burial about 6% weight loss is observed for BAK whereas cyanoethylated and alkali treated jute–BAK composites show about 10% weight loss. The loss of weight as well as the decrease of bending strength of degraded composites is more or less directly related.     

A new method of reinforcing graphene nanoplatelets in glass/epoxy composites

This research aims to develop a method for the amalgamation of graphene nanoplatelets in glass/epoxy composites. The poor interface bonding between the fiber and matrix is critical and hinders the full performance of the composites. Glass fabric and epoxy were used as reinforcement and matrix in the composite, respectively. Graphene nanoplatelets were utilized as an additional nano-materials filler for the composites. Glass/graphene/epoxy and glass/epoxy composites were fabricated via vacuum infusion molding. The new method of applying graphene nanoplatelets as secondary reinforcement in the composite was developed based on proper functionalization in the sonication process. The physical, tensile, flexural, and short beam interlaminar properties of fabricated composites were examined to analyze the method's effectiveness. The results showed that density decreased by around 5 %; however, thickness increased by around 34 % after introducing graphene nanoplatelets into the composites. The tensile strength and modulus of the composites declined by approximately 19 %, on the other hand, flexural strength and modulus increased by around 63.3 % and 8.3 %, respectively, after the addition of graphene nanoplatelets into the composites. Moreover, interlaminar shear strength of the composite was enhanced by approximately 50 %.     

Date palm wood flour/glass fibre reinforced hybrid composites of recycled polypropylene: Mechanical and thermal properties

Recycled polypropylene (RPP) based hybrid composites of date palm wood flour/glass fibre were prepared by different weight ratios of the two reinforcements. Mixing process was carried out in an extruder and samples were prepared by injection molding machine. Recycled PP properties were improved by reinforcing it by wood flour. The tensile strength and Young’s modulus of wood flour reinforced RPP increased further by adding glass fibre. Glass fibre reinforced composites showed higher hardness than other composites. Morphological studies indicated that glass fiber has good adhesion with recycled PP supporting the improvement of the mechanical properties of hybrid composites with glass fiber addition. Addition of as little 5 wt% glass fibre to wood flour reinforced RPP increases the tensile strength by about 18% relative to the wood flour reinforcement alone. An increase in wood particle content in the PP resulted in a decrease in the degree of crystallinity of the polymer. The tensile strength of the composites increased with an increase in the percentage of crystallinity when adding the glass fibre. The improvement in the mechanical properties with the increase in crystallinity percentage (and with the decrease of the lamellar thicknesses) can be attributed to the constrained region between the lamellae because the agglomeration is absent in this case.     

Experimental investigation on mechanical properties and wear characterization of Al-Si12CulMg1 aluminium alloy reinforced with titanium diboride and boron carbide particulate hybrid composites using stir casting process

LM13 aluminium alloy (Al−Si12CulMg1) with titanium diboride (TiB₂) and boron carbide (B₄C) particulate hybrid composites have been prepared using stir casting process. Wt% of titanium diboride is varied from 0–10 and constant 5 wt% boron carbide particles have been used to reinforce LM13 aluminium alloy. Microstructure of the composites has been investigated and mechanical properties viz., hardness, the tensile strength of composites have been analyzed. Wear behavior of samples has been tested using a pin on disc apparatus under varying load (20 N–50 N) for a sliding distance of 2000 m. Fracture and wear on the surface of samples have been investigated. Microstructures of composites show uniform dispersion of particles in LM13 aluminium alloy. Hardness and tensile strength of composites increased with increasing wt % of reinforcements. Dry sliding wear test results reveal that weight loss of composites increased with increasing load and sliding distance. Fracture on the surface of composites reveals that the initiation of crack is at the interface of the matrix and reinforcement whereas dimples are observed for LM13 aluminium alloy. Worn surface of composites shows fine grooves and delamination is observed for the matrix.     

Effect of different reinforcements on composite-strengthening in aluminium

In the development of metal-matrix composites, reinforcements of aluminium and its alloys with ceramic materials has been pursued with keen interest for quite sometime now. However, a systematic comparison of the effect of different reinforcements in powder-processed aluminium and its alloys is not freely available in the published literature. This study examines the influence of SiC, TiC, TiB₂ and B₄C on the modulus and strength of pure aluminium. B₄C appears slightly superior as a reinforcement when comparing the effect of SiC, TiC, B₄C and TiB₂ on specific modulus and specific strength values of composites. However, TiC appears to be a more effective reinforcement, yielding the best modulus and strength values among those considered in this study. The differences in thermal expansion characteristics between aluminium and the reinforcements do not seem to explain this observation. The other advantage of TiC is that it is economically a more viable candidate as compared to B₄C and TiB₂ for reinforcing aluminium alloys. It is suggested that the superior effect of TiC as a reinforcement is probably related to the high integrity of the bond at the Al-TiC interface.     

Fabrication of fibre composites using an aluminium superplastic alloy as matrix

An aluminium superplastic alloy has been used as the matrix for a variety of fibre reinforcements. It is shown that, by hot pressing in the superplastic regime of the alloy, a number of different reinforcements can be incorporated into the matrix. Tensile tests on composites with up to 25 vol % of reinforcement showed good agreement with the rule of mixtures.