Structural and mechanical characterization of Al-based composite reinforced with heat treated Al2O3 particles

In this study, the addition of 1.00 wt.% Al₂O₃ crystals to the metal matrix of the liquid aluminum was studied. In order to investigate the influence of heat treatment on activation of Al₂O₃ powders and mechanical properties of Al–Al₂O₃ composites, the Al₂O₃ particles were heated at 1000 °C. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis used to characterize the crystal lattice of Al₂O₃ and its variation during heat treatment. The size and morphology of the Al₂O₃ grains was evaluated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The results showed a considerable change in morphology of Al₂O₃ grains during the heat treatment. Mechanical evaluation such as hardness, compression and wear tests showed enhancement in the properties of Al–1.00 wt.% heat treated Al₂O₃ vs. Al–1.00 wt.% Al₂O₃ composite.     

Effect of cup and ball types on alumina–tungsten carbide nanocomposite powder synthesized by mechanical alloying

Alumina-based nanocomposite powders with tungsten carbides particulates were synthesized by ball milling WO₃, Al and graphite powders. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) was used to characterize the milled and annealed powders. Microstructures of milled powders were studied by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Results showed that Al₂O₃–W₂C composite formed after 5 h of milling with major amount of un-reacted W in stainless steel cup. The remained W was decreased to minor amount by increasing carbon content up to 10 wt.%. When milled with ZrO₂ cup and balls, Al₂O₃–W₂C composite was completely synthesized after 20 h of milling with the major impurity of ZrO₂. In the case of stainless steel cup and balls with 10 wt.% carbon, Fe impurity after 5 h of milling (maximum 0.09 wt.%) was removed from the powder by leaching in 3HCl·HNO₃ solution. The mean grain size of the powder milled for 5 h was less than 60 nm. The powder preserved its nanocrystalline nature after annealing at 800 °C.     

Effect of 10Ce-TZP/Al2O3 nanocomposite particle amount and sintering temperature on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al/(10Ce-TZP/Al2O3) nanocomposites

A zirconia/alumina nanocomposite stabilized with cerium oxide (Ce-TZP/Al₂O₃ nanocomposite) can be a good substitute as reinforcement in metal matrix composites. In the present study, the effect of the amount of 10Ce-TZP/Al₂O₃ particles on the microstructure and properties of Al/(10Ce-TZP/Al₂O₃) nanocomposites was investigated. For this purpose, aluminum powders with average size of 30 μm were ball-milled with 10Ce-TZP/Al₂O₃ nanocomposite powders (synthesized by aqueous combustion) in varying amounts of 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10 wt.%. Cylindrical-shape samples were prepared by pressing the powders at 600 MPa for 60 min while heating at 400–450 °C. The specimens were then characterized by scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM) in addition to different physical and mechanical testing methods in order to establish the optimal processing conditions. The highest compression strength was obtained in the composite with 7 wt.% (10Ce-TZP/Al₂O₃) sintered at 450 °C.     

Microstructure and tensile strength of PM304 composite

PM304 composite comprising NiCr (80/20) matrix (60 wt.%) combined with Cr₂O₃ (20 wt.%), Ag (10 wt.%) and eutectic BaF₂/CaF₂ (10 wt.%) as solid self-lubricants additives has been successfully prepared by mechanical alloying and powder metallurgy. The sintered PM304 samples were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS). The density of PM304 composite sintered at 1100 °C was 7.3 g/cm³, and the mean tensile strength 47 MPa. The size of Cr₂O₃, BaF₂/CaF₂ particles was less than 1 μm, and that of Ag particles below 5 μm. Fracture morphology indicates that the fracture of PM304 is mainly along Ni80Cr20 grains.     

Mechanical properties of in-situ toughened Al2O3/Fe3Al

Mechanical properties of in-situ toughened Al₂O₃/Fe₃Al nano-/micro-composites were measured. Effects of Fe₃Al content, sintering temperature and holding time on properties and microstructure of the composites were investigated. The addition of Fe₃Al nano-particles decreased the aspect ratio and grain size of Al₂O₃, and changed the fracture mode of composites. The maximum bending strength and fracture toughness were 832 MPa and 7.96 MPa m^1/2, which were obtained in Al₂O₃/5 wt.% Fe₃Al sintered at 1530 °C and Al₂O₃/10 wt.% Fe₃Al sintered at 1600 °C, respectively. Compared to monolithic alumina, the strength increased by 132% and the toughness increased by 73%. The improvement in the mechanical properties of the composites was attributed to the change in fracture mode from intergranular fracture to transgranular fracture, the “in-situ reinforced effect” arising from the platelet grains of Al₂O₃ matrix, refined microstructure by dispersoids, as well as crack deflection and bridging of intergranular and intragranular Fe₃Al.     

Feasibility of using Y2Ti2O7 nanoparticles to fabricate high strength oxide dispersion strengthened Fe–Cr–Al steels

Addition of Al can improve the corrosion resistance of oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steels. However, Al reacts with Y₂O₃ to form large Y–Al–O particles in the steels and deteriorates their mechanical properties. Herein, we successfully prepared Y₂Ti₂O₇ nanoparticles (NPs) by the combination of hydrogen plasma-metal reaction (HPMR) and annealing. Y₂Ti₂O₇ NPs with contents of 0.2 or 0.6 wt.% were then added into the Fe–14Cr–3Al–2W–0.35Ti (wt.%) steel to substitute the conventional Y₂O₃ NPs by mechanical alloying (MA). The Y₂Ti₂O₇ NPs transformed into amorphous-like structure after 96 h MA. They crystallized with a fine size of 7.4 ± 3.7 nm and shared a semi-coherent interface with the matrix after hot isostatic pressing (HIP) of the ODS steel with 0.6 wt.% Y₂Ti₂O₇. With the increasing Y₂Ti₂O₇ content from 0.2 to 0.6 wt.%, the tensile strength of the ODS steel increased from 1238 to 1296 MPa, which was much higher than that (949 MPa) of the ODS steel added with Y₂O₃. The remarkably improved mechanical properties of the Al-containing ODS steels were attributed to the increasing number density of Y₂Ti₂O₇ nanoprecipitates. Our work demonstrates a novel route to fabricate high performance ODS steels with both high mechanical strength and good corrosion resistance.     

Improvement of high-temperature oxidation resistance and strength in alumina-forming austenitic stainless steels

A new alumina-forming austenitic stainless steel with greatly improved high-temperature oxidation resistance and strength was developed via alloying 3.0 wt.% Al in the Fe-25Ni-18Cr based alloy. Continuous, stable and exclusive alumina scale was formed in either dry air or air with 10% water vapor mixed environment at 800 °C. The long-term high-temperature oxidation performance is appreciably enhanced which is associated with the high density of the B2-NiAl precipitation phase maintaining the Al₂O₃ surface layer. Moreover, when tested at 750 °C in dry air environment, the new steel showed high yield and fracture tensile strength of 310–335 and 480–500 MPa, respectively.     

Development of novel CsF–RbF–AlF3 flux for brazing aluminum to stainless steel with Zn–Al filler metal

Brazing 6061 Al alloy to 304 stainless steel by flame brazing has been carried out with an improved CsF–RbF–AlF₃ flux which matched Zn–xAl filler metals. The results showed that, the spreading area on stainless steel of Zn–xAl filler metals has been improved with the addition of RbF to CsF–AlF₃ flux. It is found that a Zn-rich phase appeared between the brazing seam and the intermetallic compound (IMC) layer in the joints brazed with Zn–2Al and Zn–5Al filler metals, and the thickness of the IMC layer was approximately 1.76–6.45 μm which increased with the increase of Al added to the filler metals. Moreover, a Fe₄Al₁₃ phase formed in the IMC layer, while a Fe₂Al₅ phase appeared as the second layer in Zn–25Al brazed joint. Neither the Zn-rich phase nor Fe₂Al₅ phase was found in the joint brazed with Zn–15Al filler metal, so that the joint was exhibited the maximum shear strength which was up to 131 MPa. All the lap joints were fractured at the interfacial layer of the brazing seam and stainless steel.     

Effect of aluminum on microstructure,mechanical properties and pitting corrosion resistance of ultra-pure 429 ferritic stainless steels

Effect of aluminum on microstructure, mechanical properties and pitting corrosion resistance of ultra-pure 429 ferritic stainless steels has been investigated. Aluminum can significantly increase the ratio of equiaxed crystal grains, but the promotion effect has great relation with aluminum content. Aluminum can stabilize ferrite phase and significantly reduce recrystallization temperature. Increased aluminum content can also lead to the precipitate of AlN and Al₂O₃ at higher temperature. The increased amount of AlN may partly contribute to the reduced nitrogen element to form austenite at high temperature, hence the high temperature phase transformation of α + γ → α occurs. The fine and large number of Al₂O₃ particles can refine grain size and then promote recrystallization. The highest intensity of γ-fiber texture {1 1 1}〈1 1 2〉 is observed in the steel with 0.19 wt.% aluminum, which can improve the formability of steels. With the increase of aluminum content, the tensile strength increases linearly but the elongation and plastic strain ratio first increase then decrease, the working hardening index varies slightly among the steels. Appearance of Al₂O₃ inclusions with small size and decreased content of MnS benefit pitting corrosion resistance. However, the large dimension Al₂O₃ inclusions have significantly negative influence on pitting corrosion resistance.     

Mechanical properties of rolled A356 based composites reinforced by Cu-coated bimodal ceramic particles

Three kinds of A356 based composites reinforced with 3 wt.% Al₂O₃ (average particle size: 170 μm), 3 wt.% SiC (average particle size: 15 μm), and 3 wt.% of mixed Al₂O₃–SiC powders (a novel composite with equal weights of reinforcement) were fabricated in this study via a two-step approach. This first process step was semi-solid stir casting, which was followed by rolling as the second process step. Electroless deposition of a copper coating onto the reinforcement was used to improve the wettability of the ceramic particles by the molten A356 alloy. From microstructural characterization, it was found that coarse alumina particles were most effective as obstacles for grain growth during solidification. The rolling process broke the otherwise present fine silicon platelets, which were mostly present around the Al₂O₃ particles. The rolling process was also found to cause fracture of silicon particles, improve the distribution of fine SiC particles, and eliminate porosity remaining after the first casting process step. Examination of the mechanical properties of the obtained composites revealed that samples which contained a bimodal ceramic reinforecment of fine SiC and coarse Al₂O₃ particles had the highest strength and hardness.     

Wear behaviors of Fe-based amorphous composite coatings reinforced by Al2O3 particles in air and in NaCl solution

In this paper, the influence of the addition of Al₂O₃ particles on the microstructure and wear properties of Fe-based amorphous coatings prepared by high velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) has been studied. The wear behaviors of the composite coatings were evaluated against Si₃N₄ in a pin-on-disk mode in air and in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution. It was found that the Al₂O₃ particles were homogenously distributed in the amorphous matrix and the composite coatings exhibited improved wear resistance and reduced coefficient of friction (COF) in both air and wet conditions as compared to the monolithic amorphous coating. The composite coating reinforced with 20 wt.% Al₂O₃ particles exhibit the best wear performance, which, for example, has extremely low COF (< 0.2) and high wear resistance (2–3 times higher than monolithic amorphous coating). Detailed analysis on the worn surface indicated that the wear mechanism for the amorphous and composite coatings is similar and is dominated by oxidative delamination in air and by corrosion wear in 3.5% NaCl solution. The enhanced wear resistance is mainly attributed to the addition of Al₂O₃ particles which exhibit high hardness, good corrosion resistance and excellent chemical and thermal stability.     

Infiltrated Cu8Al–Ti alumina composites

The effect of titanium additions on the interface and mechanical properties of infiltrated Cu8 wt%Al–Al₂O₃ composites containing 57 ± 2 vol% ceramic are investigated, exploring two different Al₂O₃ particle types and four different Ti concentrations (0, 0.2, 1, 2 wt%Ti). Addition of 0.2 wt%Ti leads to the development of a thin (5–10 nm) layer enriched in Ti at the interface between Cu alloy and Al₂O₃ particles; this Ti concentration produces the best mechanical properties. With higher Ti-contents Ti₃(Cu, Al)₃O appears; this decreases both the interface and composite strength. Composites reinforced with vapor-grown polygonal alumina particles show superior mechanical properties compared to those reinforced by angular comminuted alumina particles, as has been previously documented for aluminum-based matrices. Micromechanical analysis shows that damage accumulation is more extensive, as is matrix hardening by dislocation emission during composite cooldown, in the present Cu8 wt%Al matrix composites compared with similarly reinforced and processed Al-matrix composites.     

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.     

Improvement of yield strength of LM24 alloy

In this study, Al₂O₃ particles were employed to improve the microstructure of LM24 and therefore, to increase the yield strength and tensile strength of this kind of alloy. In situ Al₂O₃ particles were obtained by direct reaction between oxygen and Al melt at 750–800 °C. Microstructure examination shows that the size of in situ formed Al₂O₃ particles was about 1–2 μm, and interestingly, with addition of in situ Al₂O₃ particles, the coarse primary Si phase was disappeared completely. More important, the yield strength and the tensile strength of Al₂O₃/LM24 are increased by 52 MPa, 16 MPa than that of LM24 alloy with 0.1% Sb addition. The value of 181 MPa and 315 MPa is for yield strength and tensile strength of Al₂O₃/LM24 respectively. Besides, the yield strength and tensile strength are 180 MPa and 314 MPa respectively for Al₂O₃/LM24 alloy after remelting and casting. This verifies that the improvement of mechanical properties of such kind of material possesses stability and reliability.     

Production of TiC reinforced-aluminum composites with the addition of elemental carbon

TiC reinforced Al matrix composites were produced by the additions of elemental carbon to both Al + 4%Ti and Al + 5%Ti alloys. It is shown that the microstructure, phase composition as well as fracture behavior of the composites produced are controlled by the processing parameters, such as temperature, amount of excess carbon and duration. Composite microstructure subjected to 1300 °C for 15 min includes only TiC particles where the fracture occurs in a ductile manner whilst composites subjected to 1200 °C for 30 min contain Al₃Ti and TiC particles which show mixed mode of fracture behavior where Al₃Ti particles resulted in brittle fracture due to their coarser size.     

The measurement of the adhesion force between ceramic particles and metal matrix in ceramic reinforced-metal matrix composites

This paper presents the method for measurement of the adhesion force and fracture strength of the interface between ceramic particles and metal matrix in ceramic reinforced-metal matrix composites. Three samples with the following Cu to Al₂O₃ ratio (in vol.%) were prepared: 98.0Cu/2.0Al₂O₃, 95.0Cu/5.0Al₂O₃ and 90Cu/10Al₂O₃. Furthermore, microwires which contain a few ceramic particles were produced by means of electro etching. The microwires with clearly exposed interface were tested with use of the microtensile tester. The microwires usually break exactly at the interface between the metal matrix and ceramic particle. The force and the interface area were carefully measured and then the fracture strength of the interface was determined. The strength of the interface between ceramic particle and metal matrix was equal to 59 ± 8 MPa and 59 ± 11 MPa in the case of 2% and 5% Al₂O₃ to Cu ratio, respectively. On the other hand, it was significantly lower (38 ± 5 MPa) for the wires made of composite with 10% Al₂O₃.     

Effect of copper content on the thermal conductivity and thermal expansion of Al–Cu/diamond composites

Al–Cu matrix composites reinforced with diamond particles (Al–Cu/diamond composites) have been produced by a squeeze casting method. Cu content added to Al matrix was varied from 0 to 3.0 wt.% to detect the effect on thermal conductivity and thermal expansion behavior of the resultant Al–Cu/diamond composites. The measured thermal conductivity for the Al–Cu/diamond composites increased from 210 to 330 W/m/K with increasing Cu content from 0 to 3.0 wt.%. Accordingly, the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) was tailored from 13 × 10⁻⁶ to 6 × 10⁻⁶/K, which is compatible with the CTE of semiconductors in electronic packaging applications. The enhanced thermal conductivity and reduced coefficient of thermal expansion were ascribed to strong interface bonding in the Al–Cu/diamond composites. Cu addition has lowered the melting point and resulted in the formation of Al₂Cu phase in Al matrix. This is the underlying mechanism responsible for the strengthening of Al–Cu/diamond interface. The results show that Cu alloying is an effective approach to promoting interface bonding between Al and diamond.     

In situ fabrication of α-Al2O3 and Ni2Al3 reinforced aluminum matrix composites in an Al–Ni2O3 system

α-Al₂O₃ ceramic particles and Ni₂Al₃ intermetallic compound reinforced aluminum matrix composites were successfully fabricated via exothermic dispersion (XD) reaction in an Al–Ni₂O₃ system. Thermodynamic analysis indicated that the reaction between Al and Ni₂O₃ could occur spontaneously due to its negative Gibbs free energy. The reaction characteristic was discussed by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) method and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis. The results showed that the reactions of the Al–Ni₂O₃ system consisted of two steps as following: (1) the Al firstly reacted with Ni₂O₃ to form the stable α-Al₂O₃ particles and active Ni atoms; (2) the active Ni atoms further reacted with Al to form Ni₂Al₃. The values of activation energy of the two step reactions were around 457.3 and 282.4 kJ/mol, respectively. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) revealed that the Ni₂Al₃ blocks were uniformly distributed throughout the matrix, while the α-Al₂O₃ particles were slightly segregated in the matrix. The strength of the composite is controlled by the strength of Ni₂Al₃ phase, and the tensile strength and the elongation rate of the composite with 30 vol.% reinforcement volume fraction are 210 MPa and 8%, respectively.     

Synthesis of (Fe,Cr)3Al–Al2O3 nanocomposite through mechanochemical combustion reaction induced by ball milling of Cr,Al and Fe2O3 powders

In this work, (Fe,Cr)₃Al matrix nanocomposite reinforced by 47 vol.% Al₂O₃ was synthesized by mechanochemical reaction of Cr, 3Al and Fe₂O₃ powders mixture. The structural evaluation of powder particles during milling was done by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and differential thermal analysis (DTA). The results showed that at the early stage of milling, the thermite reaction between Fe₂O₃ and Al occurred and Fe and Al₂O₃ phases were formed. Then, the remaining Al and Cr were alloyed with Fe, leading to (Fe,Cr)₃Al–Al₂O₃ nanocomposite structure. Further investigations indicated that the presence of diluents (excess Al and Cr) did not change the modality of thermite reaction and the formation of (Fe,Cr)₃Al–Al₂O₃ nanocomposite proceeded with combustion process. The (Fe,Cr)₃Al–Al₂O₃ nanocomposite powder exhibited the hardness value of 1140 Hv which is significantly higher than 935 Hv obtained for (Fe,Cr)₃Al.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of in situ TiC and Nd2O3 particles reinforced Ti–4.5 wt.%Si alloy composites

(TiC + Nd₂O₃)/Ti–4.5 wt.%Si composites were in situ synthesized by a non-consumable arc-melting technology. The phases in the composites were identified by X-ray diffraction. Microstructures of the composites were observed by optical microscope and scanning electron microscope. The composite contains four phases: TiC, Nd₂O₃, Ti₅Si₃ and Ti. The TiC and Nd₂O₃ particles with dendritic and near-equiaxed shapes are well distributed in Ti–4.5 wt.%Si alloy matrix, and the fine Nd₂O₃ particles exist in the network Ti + Ti₅Si₃ eutectic cells and Ti matrix of the composites. The hardness and compressive strength of the composites are markedly higher than that of Ti–4.5 wt.%Si alloy. When the TiC content is fixed as 10 wt.% in the composites, the hardness is enhanced as the Nd₂O₃ content increases from 8 wt.% to 13 wt.%, but the compressive strength peaks at the Nd₂O₃ content of 8 wt.%.