Synthesis of fly ash particle reinforced A356 Al composites and their characterization

A356 Al–fly ash particle composites were fabricated using stir-cast technique and hot extrusion. Composites containing 6 and 12 vol.% fly ash particles were processed. Narrow size range (53–106 μm) and wide size range (0.5–400 μm) fly ash particles were used. Hardness, tensile strength, compressive strength and damping characteristics of the unreinforced alloy and composites have been measured. Bulk hardness, matrix microhardness, 0.2% proof stress of A356 Al–fly ash composites are higher compared to that of the unreinforced alloy. Additions of fly ash lead to increase in hardness, elastic modulus and 0.2% proof stress. Composites reinforced with narrow size range fly ash particle exhibit superior mechanical properties compared to composites with wide size range particles. A356 Al–fly ash MMCs were found to exhibit improved damping capacity when compared to unreinforced alloy at ambient temperature.     

Al–Si coating fused by Al + Si powders formed on Ti–6Al–4V alloy and its oxidation resistance

An Al–Si coating was successfully produced by means of the low oxygen pressure fusing technology for improving the oxidation resistance of Ti–6Al–4V alloy. The Al and Si concentration in coating and coating thickness could be controlled by adjusting powder mixing ratio and changing the technical parameters (fusing temperature and time), respectively. At 1273 K, the weight gain of the Al–20Si coating increased with prolonging fusing time and its equation could be described as Δm² = 3.62t. After 105 h oxidation, the oxidation rate of the Al–20Si coated specimen with fusing time 100 min was about two to four times than that of the Al–10Si coated specimen with fusing time 60 min.     

Sliding wear behaviour of Al-Si-Cu composites reinforced with SiC particles

Abstract

The sliding wear behaviours of an unreinforced monolithic Al-Si-Cu alloy and SiC particles reinforced composites containing 5, 13, 38 and 50 vol.-% with diameters of 5.5, 11.5 and 57μm were investigated. The results showed that the wear resistance of the composites is much higher than the monolithic alloy, and the larger and the more SiC particles, the higher the enhancement of the wear resistance. Metallographic examinations revealed that the subsurface of worn composites was composed of both fragmented particles and deformed matrix alloy. The depth of the particle fracture zone in the subsurface varied in the range of 20-35 μm at a sliding distance of 1.8 km, while the plastic deformation zone of the worn subsurface on monolithic alloy was more than 100 μm. Scanning electron microanalyses of the worn surface, subsurface microstructure and debris suggested that the depth of the particle fracture zone became smaller as the diameter of SiC particles increased. Increasing the hardness and decreasing the applied wear stress changed the debris morphology from flake to very small lumps.     

SiC particulate dispersed composites of an Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloy: Property comparison with parent alloy

Composites have been formed by adding 15 wt.% of SiC dispersoids in the size range of 20–40 μm to Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloy (corresponding to the 7075 series). The 7075 aluminium alloy and composites have been subjected to heat treatment in an attempt to optimize their properties. The present paper reports the improvement in the hardness, mechanical and sliding wear resistance properties attained as a result of heat treatment and forming composites. An attempt is made in the paper to understand the mechanism responsible for the improved behaviour of the 7075/SiC aluminium composite over the base alloy through microscopic/metallographic analysis.     

Dry sliding wear behavior of cast SiC-reinforced Al MMCs

Dry sliding block-on-ring wear tests were performed on a squeeze cast A390 Al alloy, a high pressure die cast 20%SiC–Al MMC, and a newly developed as-cast 50%SiC–Al MMC. The testing conditions spanned the transition that control the mild to severe wear for all materials. The results show that the sliding wear resistance increases as SiC particle volume fraction increases. The critical transition temperature, at which wear rates transit from mild to severe, also increases with increasing SiC content. Examination of the wear surfaces, the subsurface characteristics, and the wear debris indicate that a hard ‘mechanically alloyed’ layer, high in SiC content, forms on the sliding surface of the 50%SiC composite. This layer prevents the surface adhesion wear mechanisms active in the A390 alloy, and it inhibits delamination wear mechanisms that control the mild wear of the 20%SiC composite. As a result, mild wear of the 50%SiC composite occurs by an oxidation process. In the 20%SiC material, severe wear occurs as a consequence of material removal by a flow-related extrusion-like process. In contrast, the high SiC content prevents plasticity in the 50%SiC composite, which eventually is susceptible to severe wear at very high temperatures (≈450 °C) due to a near-brittle cracking processes.     

Effect of particle size on fatigue behaviour in SiC particulate-reinforced aluminium alloy composites

The effect of particle size on rotary bending fatigue behaviour was studied for powder metallurgy 2024 aluminium alloy composites reinforced with 10 wt% silicon carbide particles (SiC_p ). Average particle sizes of 5, 20 and 60 μm were evaluated. Particle size had a significant influence on fatigue strength, indicating an increased fatigue strength with decreasing particle size. The composite with 5 μm SiC particles showed higher fatigue strength than the unreinforced alloy. The incorporation of 20 μm SiC particles led to an increase in fatigue strength at a high stress level, but the improvement diminished with decreasing stress level, and a slightly decreased fatigue strength was observed at low stress level, as compared with the unreinforced alloy. The composite with 60 μm SiC particles exhibited a considerable decrease in fatigue strength. Fatigue cracks initiated at several different microstructural features, e.g. surface defects, inclusions and particle–matrix interfaces, and crack initiation was considerably affected by particle size. Fatigue strength was found to depend strongly on the resistance to crack initiation, because there was no discernible difference in small crack growth between the unreinforced alloy and the composites, particularly at a low maximum stress intensity factor.     

The influence of impurity level and tin addition on the ageing heat treatment of the 356 class alloy

The influence of the addition of 0.5 wt.% Sn to Al–7Si–0.3 Mg alloys (356 and A356) on their ageing behaviour and mechanical properties was evaluated. Adding Sn led to a reduction of the iron rich intermetallics volume fraction, and of hardness. During solution heat treatment, Mg went into the solid solution, and Sn particles grew by competitive growth, concentrating at phase boundaries and interfaces. During aging β″ and Si precipitated. In the alloys with Sn, the β″ precipitation was accelerated and its hardening effect was greater, whereas the Si precipitation did not changed significantly. The mechanical properties of the A356 alloy were compatible with the hardening achieved during the heat treatment and to the amount of defects (pores) present in the microstructure. The yield strength and elongation of the A356 + 0.5% Sn alloy decreased after solution heat treatment and with increasing ageing temperature. These detrimental effects were minimized by treating this alloy in the T5 condition at 150 °C.     

The effects of mischmetal, cooling rate and heat treatment on the eutectic Si particle characteristics of A319.1, A356.2 and A413.1 Al–Si casting alloys

The effects of mischmetal, cooling rate and heat treatment on the eutectic Si particle characteristics of A319.1, A356.2 and A413.1 Al–Si casting alloys were investigated and recorded for this study. Mischmetal was added to the alloys in the form of Al–20% mischmetal master alloy to produce four levels of mischmetal addition (0, 2, 4 and 6 wt%). The alloys were also modified with strontium (250 ppm) to study the combined modification effect of Sr and mischmetal at both high and low cooling rates corresponding to dendrite arm spacings of 40 and 120 μm, respectively. The alloys were subjected to solution heat treatment (495 °C/8 h for A319.1 and A413.1 alloys, and 540 °C/8 h for A356.2 alloy) to investigate its effect on the eutectic Si particle morphology.

An optical microscope-image analyzer system was used to measure the characteristics of eutectic Si particles such as area, length, roundness ratio and aspect ratio, in order to monitor the modifying effect of mischmetal, as well as the combined modification effect of mischmetal and Sr. For each alloy sample examined, the Si particle characteristics were measured over an area of 50 fields and the average particle characteristics were thus determined.

The eutectic Si particle measurements revealed that partial modification was obtained with the addition of mischmetal while full modification was achieved with the addition of Sr in the as-cast condition, at both high and low cooling rates. The interaction between Sr and mischmetal was observed to weaken the effectiveness of Sr as a Si particle-modifying agent. This effect was particularly evident at the low cooling rate.

During solution heat treatment, the eutectic Si particles in the non-modified alloys underwent rapid coarsening, otherwise known as Ostwald ripening, whereas those in the Sr-modified alloys exhibited a high spheroidization rate. The coarsening was evidenced by an increase in the thickness of the Si particles, clearly observed in the A356.2 alloy at both cooling rates. In the alloys containing mischmetal, the presence of this mixture of rare earth elements reduced the coarsening of the Si particles slightly.     

Fabrication of fiber-reinforced functionally graded materials by a centrifugal in situ method from Al–Cu–Fe ternary alloy

Ternary Al–13.8at%Cu–1.6at%Fe alloy was prepared from Al–Cu and Al–Fe alloys at 1000 °C. The ternary Al–Cu–Fe alloy was centrifugally cast to fabricate a new type of functionally graded material (FGM) by a centrifugal in situ method. The structure is expected to differ from that of binary alloys. It was found that the fabricated FGM rings consist of four different phases, namely, Al, Al₂Cu, Al₇Cu₂Fe(ω) and Al₁₃Fe₄ phases. The shape of ω phase was fiber (needle) judging from the observation by a scanning acoustic microscope (SAM). The position dependence of the microstructure was examined on the fabricated FGM rings, and the volume fraction of ω phase was found to increase toward the outer region of the ring. Moreover, orientation and aspect ratio of the ω phase varied in the rings in a gradually graded manner. Therefore, the present study explores a method to produce fiber-dispersed FGMs by applying a centrifugal in situ method to ternary alloys.     

Effect of equal-channel angular extrusion on mechanical and wear properties of eutectic Al–12Si alloy

Mechanical and wear properties of severely deformed Al–12Si alloy by equal-channel angular extrusion/pressing (ECAE/P) were investigated. Multi-pass ECAE processing of the as-cast alloy substantially increased both its strength and ductility. The increase in the tensile and yield strength values after six ECAE passes were about 48% and 87%, respectively. The sample after six ECAE passes exhibited 10% elongation before rupture, which was about five times higher than that of the as-cast one. The improvement in both strength and ductility was mainly attributed to the changes of the shape, size and distribution of the eutectic silicon particles along with the breakage and refined of the large α-Al grains during multi-pass ECAE processing. However, the wear test results surprisingly showed that the ECAE process decreased the wear resistance of the alloy, although there was improvement in strength and ductility values. This was mainly attributed to the tribochemical reaction leading to oxidative wear with the abrasive effect in Al–Si alloys during sliding. The oxide layer played a dominant role in determining the wear resistance of the sample in both as-cast and ECAE-processed states, and it masked the effect of strengthening of alloy structure on the wear resistance.     

Heat treatment and wear characteristics of Al/SiCp composites fabricated by duplex process

This study was undertaken to investigate the effects of alloying elements and heat treatment on the microstructures, wear resistance, and heat resistance of Al–Si–Cu–Mg–(Ni)/SiC_p composites fabricated by a duplex process that consists of squeeze infiltration (1st step) followed by squeeze casting (2nd step). This duplex process produces a homogeneous distribution of SiC_p in Al alloy. The hardness of the composites increased with decrease in SiC_p size, and also with Ni addition in both the as-cast and the as-aged specimens. Compared with 5 and 10 μm SiC_p reinforced Al composites, the aging time to obtain the peak hardness was shortened for 3 μm SiC_p reinforced Al composite, because of higher density dislocations on the periphery of SiC_p in the matrix. However, the Al composite reinforced with 10 μm SiC_p was found to have the lowest wear amount as compared with 3 and 5 μm SiC_p composites. The amount of wear in Al/SiC_p composites decreased with increase of the sliding speed because abrasive wear occurred under low sliding speed and block-type wear debris occurred under high sliding speed.     

Creep behavior of Ti3Al–Nb intermetallic alloys

It is well known that Ti₃Al–Nb alloys are potential materials for aerospace applications. The creep property is an important consideration when materials are used at high temperature. In this article, the effect of microstructure of Ti–25Al–10Nb alloy on the creep property was investigated, and the creep property of Ti–25Al–10Nb alloy modified by small addition of silicon (0.2 at.%) or carbon (0.1 at.%) was observed. The alloy with the addition of molybdenum to replace part of niobium (2 at.%) was also studied. The experimental results show that the furnace-cooled Ti–25Al–10Nb alloy has superior creep resistance to the air-cooled Ti–25Al–10Nb alloy at 200 MPa, but exhibits poor creep resistance at 250 MPa or above. Small addition of silicon to the Ti–25Al–10Nb alloy may increase creep resistance. Small addition of carbon to the Ti–25Al–10Nb alloy may reduce creep resistance but raise rupture strain. Molybdenum is the most effective alloying element to increase creep resistance for the Ti–25Al–10Nb alloy. The creep mechanism of Ti–25Al–10Nb alloy is governed by dislocation climb.     

Dry wear properties of A356-SiC particle reinforced MMCs produced by two melting routes

SiC particle reinforced metal matrix composites (MMCs) were produced by a common liquid phase technique in two melting routes. In the first route, 5, 10, 15 and 20 vol% SiC reinforced A356-based MMCs were produced. In the second route, an Alcan A356 + 20 vol% SiC composite was diluted to obtain 5, 10, 15 and 20 vol% SiC MMCs. In both cases the average particle size was 12 μm. The composites that produced by two different routes were aimed to compare the dry wear resistance properties. A dry ball-on disk wear test was carried out for both groups of MMCs and their matrix materials. The tests were performed against a WC ball, 4.6 mm in diameter, at room temperature and in laboratory air conditions with a relative humidity of 40–60%. Sliding speed was chosen as 0.4 m/s and normal loads of 1, 2, 3 and 5 N were employed. The sliding distance was kept at 1000 m. The wear damage on the specimens was evaluated via measurement of wear depth and diameter. A complete wear microstructural characterization was carried out via scanning electron microscopy. The wear behaviors were recorded nearly similar for both groups of composites. Diluted samples showed lower friction coefficient values compared with the friction coefficient values of the vortex-produced composites. This was attributed poor bonding between matrix and particles in the vortex-produced composites associated with high porosities. But, in general, diluted Alcan composites showed slightly lower wear rate relationship with the particle volume percent and applied load when compared with vortex produced materials.     

Microstructure and grain refining performance of Al–5Ti–1B master alloy prepared under high-intensity ultrasound

The microstructure and grain refining performance of an Al–5Ti–1B master alloy prepared under high-intensity ultrasound were investigated. With applying continuous high-intensity ultrasound vibrations in the reaction, the Al–5Ti–1B master alloy is successfully manufactured in 4 min. Compared with conventional Al–5Ti–1B master alloys, the mean size and the size spread of TiB₂ particles in the prepared master alloy are evidently decreased. The narrower particle size spread significantly improves the grain refining performance of the master alloy, which proves the calculation predictions by Greer. Consequently, the limiting grain size of commercial purity aluminium refined by the new master alloy can reach 45 μm.     

An investigation of the microstructure and mechanical properties of the macro-interface in selectively reinforced aluminium castings

The ring groove areas of squeeze-cast Al-12% Si alloy pistons can be selectively reinforced with Saffil (Al₂O₃) fibres or SiC whiskers to provide local high temperature strength and wear resistance. Since the reinforced region and the unreinforced alloy typically have different coefficients of thermal expansion, cyclic residual stress may occur at the macro-interface between them when it experiences thermal cycling. This could conceivably result in fatigue induced damage at the macro-interface, making it susceptible to failure. To investigate this, the strength of the macro-interface has been measured before and after thermal cycling using bimaterial tensile samples. Prior to thermal exposure, samples typically failed at the macro-interface with an average strength less than that of the unreinforced alloy alone. The low initial strength has been attributed to several factors, including poor alloy-reinforcement bonding and an accumulation of brittle particles or other material at the macro-interface. After being thermally cycled 1000 times between 50 °C and 275 °C or given an equivalent isothermal exposure, samples typically failed in the unreinforced alloy or at the macro-interface with average strengths less than those measured prior to thermal exposure. However, there was no clear evidence that fatigue induced damage had occurred as a result of thermal cycling and the strength drop associated with thermal exposure has been attributed to alloy overageing.     

Friction and wear of epoxy/TiO2 nanocomposites: Influence of additional short carbon fibers, Aramid and PTFE particles

An epoxy-based nanocomposite containing graphite powder (7 vol%) and nano-scale TiO₂ (4 vol%) was developed for tribological evaluation. A series of composites containing additional fillers such as short carbon fibers (SCF), Aramid and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) particles was developed and evaluated in adhesive and low amplitude oscillating wear modes. The incorporation of SCF and Aramid particles resulted in a remarkable improvement in the sliding wear resistance. However, SCF impaired the low amplitude oscillating wear resistance. The further addition of PTFE to the SCF filled nanocomposites reduced the friction and wear under both wear conditions. However, an adverse effect of PTFE was found for the Aramid particles filled nanocomposites. Under sliding conditions, the lowest wear rate and coefficient of friction showed the 2–4 vol% PTFE filled SCF nanocomposite. Aramid particles containing nanocomposites (without PTFE) exhibited the best wear and friction behavior under low amplitude oscillating wear conditions among the selected composites. The wear mechanisms were studied by scanning electron microscopy.     

Wear characteristics of spray formed Al-alloys and their composites

In the present investigation, different Al based alloys such as Al–Si–Pb, Al–Si, Al–Si–Fe and 2014Al + SiC composites have been produced by spray forming process. The microstructural features of monolithic alloys and composite materials have been examined and their wear characteristics have been evaluated at different loads and sliding velocities. The microstructural features invariably showed a significant refinement of the primary phases and also modification of secondary phases in Al-alloys. The Pb particles in Al–Si–Pb alloy were observed to be uniformly distributed in the matrix phase besides decorating the grain boundaries. The spray formed composites showed uniform distribution of SiC particles in the matrix. It was observed that wear resistance of Al–Si alloy increases with increase in Pb content; however, there is not much improvement after addition of Pb more than 20%. The coefficient of friction reduced to 0.2 for the alloy containing 20%Pb. A sliding velocity of 1 ms⁻¹ was observed to be optimum for high wear resistance of these materials. Alloying elements such as Fe and Cu in Al–Si alloy lead to improved wear resistance compared to that of the base alloy. The addition of SiC in 2014Al alloy gave rise to considerable improvement in wear resistance but primarily in the low pressure regime. The wear rate seemed to decrease with increase in sliding velocity. The wear response of the materials has been discussed in light of their microstructural features and topographical observation of worn surfaces.     

Processing and properties of Al–Li–SiCp composites

Al–Li–SiC_p composites were fabricated by a modified version of the conventional stir casting technique. Composites containing 8, 12 and 18 vol% SiC particles (40 μm) were fabricated. Hardness, tensile and compressive strengths of the unreinforced alloy and composites were determined. Ageing kinetics and effect of ageing on properties were also investigated. Additions of SiC particles increase the hardness, 0.2% proof stress, ultimate tensile strength and elastic modulus of Al–Li–8%SiC and Al–Li–12%SiC composites. In case of the composite reinforced with 18% SiC particles, although the elastic modulus increases the 0.2% proof stress and compressive strength were only marginally higher than the unreinforced alloy and lower than those of Al–Li–8%SiC and Al–Li–12%SiC composites. Clustering of SiC particles appears to be responsible for reduced the strength of Al–Li–18%SiC composite. The fracture surface of unreinforced 8090 Al-Li alloy (8090Al) shows a dimpled structure, indicating ductile mode of failure. Fracture in composites occurs by a mixed mode, giving rise to a bimodal distribution of dimples in the fracture surface. Cleavage of SiC particles was also observed in the fracture surface of composites. Composites show higher peak hardness and lower peak ageing time compared with unreinforced 8090Al alloy. Macro- and microhardness increase significantly after peak ageing. Ageing also results in considerable improvement in strength of the unreinforced 8090Al alloy and its composites. This is attributed to formation of δ^′ (Al₃Li) and S^′ (Al₂CuMg) precipitates during ageing. Per cent elongation, however, decreases due to age hardening. Al–Li–12%SiC, which shows marginally lower UTS and compressive strength than the Al–Li–8%SiC composite in extruded condition, exhibits higher strength than Al–Li–8%SiC in peak-aged condition.     

Mechanical behaviors of Al2O3 nanoparticles reinforced polyetheretherketone

The precipitation kinetics of Si in an Al–1.7 wt.%Si alloy after different thermal treatments has been studied by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dilatometry and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results obtained are explained by a model based on simple nucleation and growth/dissolution laws and are compared with measured precipitate size distributions. The evolution of precipitates in water-quenched samples during linear heating depicts the exothermic formation of platelets and globular Si precipitates (200–300 °C). The endothermal dissolution of Si platelets starts at lower temperatures than that of the globular precipitates. Coarsening and finally dissolution of globular precipitates is observed with increasing temperature. Samples slowly cooled from the solution treatment temperature present mostly globular precipitates, which are nucleated during cooling. Here, an exothermal effect related to the growth of Si precipitates increasing their volume fraction is observed at relatively high temperatures (350–460 °C) during linear heating. The formed precipitates are stable up to 460 °C, where the modelled critical radius becomes bigger than most of the Si precipitates formed so far.     

Effect of the SiC particle size on the dry sliding wear behavior of SiC and SiC–Gr-reinforced Al6061 composites

The effect of size of silicon carbide particles on the dry sliding wear properties of composites with three different sized SiC particles (19, 93, and 146 μm) has been studied. Wear behavior of Al6061/10 vol% SiC and Al6061/10 vol% SiC/5 vol% graphite composites processed by in situ powder metallurgy technique has been investigated using a pin-on-disk wear tester. The debris and wear surfaces of samples were identified using SEM. It was found that the porosity content and hardness of Al/10SiC composites decreased by 5 vol% graphite addition. The increased SiC particle size reduced the porosity, hardness, volume loss, and coefficient of friction of both types of composites. Moreover, the hybrid composites exhibited lower coefficient of friction and wear rates. The wear mechanism changed from mostly adhesive and micro-cutting in the Al/10SiC composite containing fine SiC particles to the prominently abrasive and delamination wear by increasing of SiC particle size. While the main wear mechanism for the unreinforced alloy was adhesive wear, all the hybrid composites were worn mainly by abrasion and delamination mechanisms.