Investigation of carbon nanotube reinforced aluminum matrix composite materials

We have increased the tensile strength without compromising the elongation of aluminum (Al)–carbon nanotube (CNT) composite by a combination of spark plasma sintering followed by hot-extrusion processes. From the microstructural viewpoint, the average thickness of the boundary layer with relatively low CNT incorporation has been observed by optical, field-emission scanning electron, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopies. Significantly, the Al–CNT composite showed no decrease in elongation despite highly enhanced tensile strength compared to that of pure Al. We believe that the presence of CNTs in the boundary layer affects the mechanical properties, which leads to well-aligned CNTs in the extrusion direction as well as effective stress transfer between the Al matrix and the CNTs due to the generation of aluminum carbide.     

Si元素对碳纳米管增强铝基复合泡沫组织与性能的影响

针对金属基复合材料,添加合金元素是提升其综合性能的有效途径.本文通过高能球磨和填加造孔剂法,制备了添加Si元素的碳纳米管(CNTs)增强铝基(CNTs/Al-Si)复合泡沫,通过准静态压缩实验测试其压缩性能和吸能性能,进一步研究烧结温度和不同Si元素含量对CNTs/Al-Si复合泡沫微观组织、压缩性能和吸能性能的影响,...     

金刚石颗粒增强铝基复合材料的力学性能

采用压力熔渗法制备Al/金刚石复合材料,探讨金刚石粒度对复合材料微观形貌、力学性能和断口形貌的影响。结果表明复合材料的力学性能随金刚石粒径的减小逐渐升高,金刚石粒度为400/500目时,Al/金刚石复合材料的抗拉强度为145MPa,抗压强度为1020MPa,抗弯强度达到310MPa。     

晶须增强铝基复合材料的热压缩变形行为研究

采用试验和数值模拟相结合的方法研究了纵向、横向和倾斜分布的晶须增强铝基复合材料热压缩变形行为.研究表明:SiCw/6061Al复合材料300℃压缩的应力-应变行为与晶须取向角密切相关;在热变形过程中,纵向分布晶须折断严重,导致复合材料表现为应变软化行为;而倾斜于压缩方向30°的晶须折断和转动明显,引起相应复合材料应变软化;横向分布晶须没有转动而折断程度很小,使复合材料呈现出加工硬化行为.     

颗粒增强铝基功能梯度复合管研究

对强化颗粒进行了预处理,通过控制搅拌条件及感应炉供电功率等参数,使颗粒直接加入到基体铝合金中,并在浆体中呈现不同的分布,再通过调整其它的工艺参数,利用水平式离心铸造机制了三种具有不同强化部位和不同颗粒分布的功能梯度复合管,外层强化,内层强化以及内外层同时强化,结果表明：功能梯度复合管的显微硬度与颗粒分布具有良好的对应关系,而且显微组织也呈呈现梯度变化,强化部位的多样化可为功能梯度厚壁复合管的应用开辟新的领域。     

Carbon fibre reinforced glass matrix composite tension and flexure properties

Carbon fibre reinforced borosilicate glass matrix composites have been fabricated to determine their mechanical properties in tension and flexure. Composite tensile stress-strain properties, including elastic modulus, proportional limit and ultimate tensile strength, have been measured as a function of fibre content. Composite tensile properties were also obtained at temperatures of up to 625° C through the testing of 0/90 cross-plied specimens. Composite short-beam shear strength was found to depend on specimen orientation and also on the composition of the glass matrix. This compositional dependence was associated with an independent measurement of the fibre-matrix interfacial shear strength and was related to the degree of fibre-matrix reaction taking place during composite fabrication.     

Effect of ECAP consolidation temperature on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-Cu-Ti metallic glass reinforced aluminum matrix composite

Al_(65)Cu_(20)Ti_(15)metallic glass(AMG) reinforced Al matrix composites were consolidated by equal channel angular pressing(ECAP) process. The effects of ECAP consolidation temperature ranging from room temperature to just below the first crystallization temperature of metallic glass on the consolidation of composites were investigated in terms of the relative densities, structural evolutions and mechanical properties of composites. Some intermetallic compounds included Al_5CuTi_2, Al_3Ti and Al_4Cu_9 precipitated from metallic glass particles at consolidation temperature of 300?C. Consolidation temperature did not affect the matrix grains size of the composite. Quantitative analysis revealed that the distribution of reinforcing particles was considerably dependent on consolidation temperature. Density of the composite was increased by increasing the consolidation temperature to 250?C. The composite consolidated at250?C through ECAP process, exhibited the best combination of yield strength and ductility of 184 MPa and 48%, respectively.     

Fabrication and mechanical properties of Cu-coatedwoven carbon fibers reinforced aluminum alloy composite

Cu-coatedwoven carbon fibers/aluminum alloy composite (C_f/Al) was prepared by spark plasma sintering. Microstructure and mechanical properties of the composite were investigated. Microstructure observation indicates that the interface reaction is evidently inhibited by Cu coating. Woven carbon fibers are adhered to the matrix alloy by anchor locking effect of matrix alloy immersing into the interstices between carbon fibers. Under the quasi-static and dynamic compressive conditions, the composite exhibits excellent ductility even when the strain reaches 0.8. Adding carbon fibers into ZL205A alloy has no obvious influence on compressive flow stress of the composite. The compressive true stress–true strain curves show that the composite is a strain rate insensitive material. During the tensile tests, the elongation of the composite shows a sharp increase from 4.5% to 13.5% due to the adding of woven carbon fibers. Meanwhile, the tensile strength of the composite is increased slightly from 168 MPa to 202 MPa compared to that of ZL205A alloy. The good ductility of the composite is ascribed to the cracks deflection, fibers pulling out, debonding and breakage mechanisms.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of graphite fiber-reinforced high-purity aluminum matrix composite

Industrial pure aluminum (0.5 wt% impurity elements) was utilized in many investigations of aluminum matrix composites at home and abroad. However, impurity elements in industrial pure aluminum may influence the interface during fabrication of composite at high temperature. Thereby, it is necessary to use high-purity aluminum (impurity elements less than 0.01%) as matrix to enable study the interface reaction between reinforcement and matrix. In this study, stretches of brittle Al₄C₃ at the fiber/matrix interfaces in Gr_f/Al composite were observed. The fracture surface of the composite after tensile and bending tests was flat with no fiber pull-out, which revealed characteristic of brittle fracture. This was related to Al₄C₃, as this brittle phase may break before the fiber during loading and become a crack initiation point, while the corresponding crack may propagate in the fiber and the surrounding aluminum matrix, finally resulting in low stress fracture of composites.     

Flexural properties of glass fiber reinforced composite with multiphase biopolymer matrix

The aim of this study was to evaluate flexural properties of glass fiber-reinforced composites with a multiphase biopolymer matrix. Continuous unidirectional E-glass fibers were preimpregnated with a novel biopolymer of poly(hydroxyproline) amide and ester. The preimpregnated fibers were then further impregnated in a co-monomer system of Bis-GMA-TEGDMA, which formed semi-interpenetrating polymer networks (semi-IPN) with the preimpregnated polymer. After light initiated polymerization of the monomer system, rectangular shaped bar specimens (n = 4) were tested by the three-point bending test. The control material was a fiber-reinforced composite with a Bis-GMA-TEDGMA-matrix only. The mean flexural strength of poly(hydroxyproline) amide preimpregnated fiber composite was higher than that of the control (FS = 888 vs. 805 MPa). The poly(hydroxyproline) ester preimpregnated fibers resulted in lower strength (FS = 541 MPa). The results of this study suggest that preimpregnation of glass fibers with poly(hydroxyproline) amide and the use of such fibers in fiber-reinforced composites with IPN polymer matrices, can reach relatively high mechanical properties.     

碳纳米管增强铝基复合泡沫的阻尼性能

通过填加造孔剂方法制备了碳纳米管（CNTs）增强铝基复合泡沫,采用热机械分析仪研究了测试温度、频率、外加振幅、泡沫的孔隙率和CNTs含量对其阻尼性能的影响,并分析了相关阻尼机制。结果表明:复合泡沫铝的阻尼性能随孔隙率和振幅的增大而提高,随着频率的增加而下降。在环境测试温度25~200℃范围内,复合泡沫的损耗因子变化较小;当温度高于200℃后,损耗因子随温度升高有明显的提高。CNTs的加入可以显著提高泡沫铝的阻尼性能,常温下3.0% CNTs增强的铝基复合泡沫的损耗因子达0.27,为泡沫铝的3.71倍。复合泡沫的阻尼机制主要为位错阻尼、晶界阻尼、孔隙阻尼、CNTs的本征阻尼和CNTs-Al间界面阻尼,其中本征和界面阻尼发挥了重要的增强作用。      

Micro-yield property of sub-micron Al2O3 particle reinforced 2024 aluminum matrix composite

The microstructure and micro-yield strength of sub-micron Al₂O₃ particle reinforced 2024Al composites and the effect of the thermal-cold cycling treatment on the microstructure and properties were studied. The results show that the dislocations are rare in the microstructure of the sub-micron Al₂O_3p/2024Al composite in the squeeze casting condition. Aging and thermal-cold cycling treatment does not change this phenomenon. The Al₂O₃ particles are fine, so the thermal misfit between particles and the matrix is very small during the temperature change, resulting in decreased dislocations. The tiny and uniformly dispersed S′ precipitates and sub-micron particles can effectively pin dislocations, therefore, the micro-yield strength of the composite increases. Depending on the condition of the thermal-cold cycling treatment after aging, both the size and distribution of the S′ precipitates in the composite change, and they have great effect on the micro-yield strength of the composite.     

Dual-nanoparticulate-reinforced aluminum matrix composite materials

Aluminum (Al) matrix composite materials reinforced with carbon nanotubes (CNT) and silicon carbide nanoparticles (nano-SiC) were fabricated by mechanical ball milling, followed by hot-pressing. Nano-SiC was used as an active mixing agent for dispersing the CNTs in the Al powder. The hardness of the produced composites was dramatically increased, up to eight times higher than bulk pure Al, by increasing the amount of nano-SiC particles. A small quantity of aluminum carbide (Al(4)C(3)) was observed by TEM analysis and quantified using x-ray diffraction. The composite with the highest hardness values contained some nanosized Al(4)C(3). Along with the CNT and the nano-SiC, Al(4)C(3) also seemed to play a role in the enhanced hardness of the composites. The high energy milling process seems to lead to a homogeneous dispersion of the high aspect ratio CNTs, and of the nearly spherical nano-SiC particles in the Al matrix. This powder metallurgical approach could also be applied to other nanoreinforced composites, such as ceramics or complex matrix materials.     

Tensile properties and thermal expansion behaviors of continuous molybdenum fiber reinforced aluminum matrix composites

The tensile properties and thermal expansion behaviors of continuous molybdenum fiber reinforced aluminum matrix composites (Mo_f/Al) have been studied. The Mo_f/Al composites containing different volume percents of Mo fibers were processed by diffusion bonding. The strengths of unidirectional Mo_f/Al composites were close to the rule-of-mixtures. The strengths of 0°/90° dual-directional composites increased with fiber content, while those of 45°/135° composites remained relatively low. The coefficients of thermal expansion (CTEs) of the composites decreased as the fiber content increased, close to the values of Mo fibers. With increasing temperature, the CTEs of unidirectional composites increased, while those of dual-directional composites decreased due to large accumulated thermal stresses. The CTEs of 45°/135° composites were lower than those of 0°/90° composites because of contraction effect. At temperatures above 250 °C, the CTEs of the dual-directional composites gradually increased due to matrix yielding and interfacial decohesion.     

原位纳米Al2O3颗粒增强铝基复合材料的制备与微结构研究

开发了新型反应体系,以硼砂( Na2B4O7·10H2O)和K2ZrF6粉剂为原料采用熔体直接反应法,在铝熔体中成功制备了原位纳米Al2O3颗粒增强铝基复合材料.借助于扫描电镜( SEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)、透射电镜(TEM)等测试方法,对复合材料的相组成和微观组织进行了分析,结果表明反应生成了纳米级γ-Al2O3...     

Tensile properties and thermal stability of ZnO-coated aluminum borate whiskers reinforced 2024Al composite

ZnO-coated aluminum borate whiskers reinforced 2024Al composite was fabricated by squeeze casting. Interfacial microstructures and tensile properties of the composite in as-cast and after thermal exposure were investigated. Fracture mechanisms of the composite in as-cast and after thermal exposure were also investigated. The results show that ZnO coating of the whiskers reacts with molten 2024Al and MgAl₂O₄ forms at the interface during squeeze casting. On the one hand, the interfacial reaction between ZnO and 2024Al can improve the wettability of the whiskers by molten 2024Al, increasing the tensile properties of as-cast composite. On the other hand, during thermal exposure, MgAl₂O₄ at the interface can effectively hinder serious interfacial reactions between the whiskers and magnesium in the matrix of 2024Al, improving the thermal stability of the composite at high temperatures.     

Fabrication and evaluation of mechanical and tribological properties of boron carbide reinforced aluminum matrix nanocomposites

In this study, fabrication and characterization of bulk Al–B₄C nanocomposites were investigated. B₄C nanoparticles were mixed with pure Al powder by ball milling to produce Al–B₄C powder. Al–B₄C powders containing different amounts of B₄C (5, 10 and 15 wt.%) were subsequently hot pressed to produce bulk nanocomposite samples. Consolidated samples were characterized by hardness, compression and wear tests. Results showed that the sample with 15 wt.% B₄C had the optimum properties. This sample had a value of 164 HV which is significantly higher than 33 HV for pure Al. Also, ultimate compressive strength of the sample was measured to be 485 MPa which is much higher than that for pure Al (130 MPa). The wear resistance of the nanocomposites increased significantly by increasing the B₄C content. Dominant wear mechanisms for Al–B₄C nanocomposites were determined to be formation of mechanical mixed layer on the surface of samples.     

Processing and characterization of MWCNT reinforced aluminum matrix composites

Metal matrix composites comprising aluminum matrix and multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as reinforcements are fabricated using cold uniaxial compaction followed by sintering and cold extrusion as secondary processes. The MWCNTs are pretreated with sodium dodecyl sulfate for improved adhesion with aluminum powder. The effect of sintering temperature on the microstructure is explored using differential scanning calorimetric spectrum. The tensile yield and ultimate strength of Al-MWCNTs increased to 90% with 2 wt% addition of MWCNTs. Various theories for the strengthening and stiffening of Al-MWCNTs composites are explored.