Influence of SiC Particles Distribution and Their Weight Percentage on 7075 Al Alloy

The stir casting method was used for fabrication of 7075 aluminum alloy with 10 wt.% SiC particles of size 20-40 μm. The research objective of this paper are to achieve uniform distribution of SiC particles in the 7075 aluminum alloy matrix, characterization, and analysis of mechanical properties of composite formed. Experiments were carried out at stirring speeds of 500, 650, 750 rpm, and stirring period of 10 min. Microstructures of aluminum alloy and composites with 5, 10 wt.% SiC reinforcements were examined. The results reveal that composite produced at stirring speed of 650 rpm and stirring time of 10 min has uniform distribution of SiC particles. XRD and EDAX analysis were carried out for 7075 Al alloy and composite with 10 wt.% SiC reinforcement. No adverse reaction was observed in XRD and EDAX of composite with 10 wt.% SiC reinforcement. Tensile strength and hardness increased by 12.74% and 10.48%, respectively, with the increase in percentage of SiC reinforcement from 5 to 15 wt.%.     

Effect of SiC volume fraction on the age-hardening behavior in SiC particulate-reinforced 6061 aluminum alloy composites

The age-hardening behavior in the SiC particulate-reinforced 6061 aluminum alloy composites (SiCp/6061 Al alloy composites) was investigated using hardness measurement, calorimetric technique and transmission electron microscopy. The aging time for the peak hardness in 10%SiCp/6061 Al and 20%SiCp/6061 Al alloy composites was shorter than that of the unreinforced 6061 Al alloy, and the age-hardening was most accelerated in the 20%SiCp/6061 Al alloy composite. It is induced from the high density of dislocations in SiCp/6061 Al alloy composites which act as heterogeneous nucleation sites of precipitates and as a high diffusivity path of alloy elements. The precipitation sequence and the aspect of precipitates in the 6061 Al alloy cannot be affected considerably by the presence of SiC particulate and the volume fraction of SiC particulate. The activation energies for the formation of the intermediate β' phase in the unreinforced 6061 Al alloy, 10%SiCp/6061 Al and 20%SiCp/6061 Al alloy composite were 142.6 kJ/mol, 127.3 kJ/mol, 106.1 kJ/mol, respectively.     

Electrodeposition and characterization of Ni-Co/SiC nanocomposite coatings

Ni-Co/SiC nanocomposite coatings were electrodeposited in a modified watt type of Ni-Co bath containing 20 nm SiC particles to be codeposited. Potentiodynamic polarization tests were conducted to study the effect of the SiC particulates on the electrodeposition of Ni and Co. Scanning electron microscopy was used to assess the morphology of the Ni-Co alloy and Ni-Co/SiC nanocomposite coatings. The distribution of the particulates in the matrix was considered by means of transmission electron microscopy. Applying nanomechanical testing instruments coupled to atomic force microscopy, mechanical properties of the alloy and composite coatings were studied and compared. The presence of 11 vol.% SiC in the Ni-Co matrix increased hardness more than 60%. The average depth of scratch in the mentioned composite coating was about 15% less than that of the Ni-Co alloy coating. The corrosion penetration rate (CPR) of the Ni-Co alloy coating in a 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution was more than 17 times greater than that of the Ni-Co/SiC coating with 30.5 vol.% SiC.     

Processing and compressive strength of Al–Li–SiCp composites fabricated by a compound billet technique

Al–Li–SiC_p composites were fabricated by a simple and cost effective stir casting technique. A compound billet technique has been developed to overcome the problems encountered during hot extrusion of these composites. After successful fabrication hardness measurement and room temperature compressive test were carried out on 8090 Al and its composites reinforced with 8, 12 and 18 vol.% SiC particles in as extruded and peak aged conditions. The addition of SiC increases the hardness. 0.2% proof stress and compressive strength of Al–Li–8%SiC and Al–Li–12%SiC composites are higher than the unreinforced alloy. In case of the Al–Li–18%SiC composite, the 0.2% proof stress and compressive strength were higher than the unreinforced alloy but lower than those of Al–Li–8%SiC and Al–Li–12%SiC composites. This is attributed to clustering of particles and poor interfacial bonding.     

Aluminum-silicon carbide coatings by plasma spraying

An aluminum base composite (Al-SiC) powder has been developed for producing plasma sprayed coatings on Al and other metallic substrates. The composite powders were prepared by mechanical alloying of 6061 Al alloy with SiC particles. The concentration of SiC was varied between 20 and 75 vol%, and the size of the reinforcement was varied from 8 to 37 μm in the Al-50 vol% SiC composites. The 44 to 140 μm composite powders were sprayed using an axial feed plasma torch. Adhesion strength of the coatings to their substrates were found to decrease with increasing SiC content and with decreasing SiC particle sizes. The increase in the SiC content and decrease in particle size improved the erosive wear resistance of the coatings. The abrasive wear resistance was found to improve with the increase in SiC particle size and with the SiC content in the composite coatings.     

Production and characterization of a three-dimensional cellular metal-filled ceramic composite

Silicon carbide in the form of a foam network was vacuum infiltrated with aluminum alloy A356 to produce a new Interpenetrating Composite material. The foam, once infiltrated with a second phase transforms into a composite where two distinct, continuous, three-dimensional network structures are formed. The advantage of this metal matrix composite is its high strength-to-weight ratio for use in lightweight applications such as electronic packaging materials. The electroless nickel coating and vacuum infiltration procedures are developed. Materials characterization of the composite is evaluated by microstructural and compositional analysis, and density, porosity, and nano-indentation measurements. Selected experimental mechanical and thermal property measurements are performed to understand its properties and compare against theoretical models. Results show the final composite to have lower density than conventional electronic base plate packaging materials with low porosity. The composite has an increased Young's modulus and flexural strength to that of the unreinforced alloy and comparable impact toughness to composites with 50–70 vol% SiC particles but with only 12 vol% SiC. The fracture surface of the matrix illustrates conventional fibrous fracture and brittle cleavage whilst the reinforcement struts show signs of layer de-bonding from their SiC layered structure.     

Fabrication and characterization of cast magnesium matrix composites by vacuum stir casting process

A vacuum stir casting process is developed to produce SiC_p reinforced cast magnesium matrix composites. This process can eliminate the entrapment of external gas onto melt and oxidation of magnesium during stirring synthesis. Two composites with Mg-Al9Zn and Mg-Zn5Zr alloys as matrices and 15 vol.% SiC particles as reinforcement are obtained. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the composites and the unreinforced alloys in as-cast and heat treatment conditions are analyzed and evaluated. In 15 vol.% SiC_p reinforced Mg-Al9Zn alloy-based composite (Mg-Al9Zn/15SiC_p), SiC particles distribute homogenously in the matrix and are well bonded with magnesium. In 15 vol.% SiC_p reinforced Mg-Zn5Zr alloy-based composite (Mg-Zn5Zr/15SiC_p), some agglomerations of SiC particles can be seen in the microstructure. In the same stirring process conditions, SiC reinforcement is more easily wetted by magnesium in the Mg-Al9Zn melt than in the Mg-Zn5Zr melt. The significant improvement in yield strength and elastic modulus for two composites has been achieved, especially for the Mg-Al9Zn/15SiC_p composite in which yield strength and elastic modulus increase 112 and 33%, respectively, over the unreinforced alloy, and increase 24 and 21%, respectively, for the Mg-Zn5Zr/15SiC_p composite. The strain-hardening behaviors of the two composites and their matrix alloys were analyzed based on the microstructure characteristics of the materials.     

Ni-SiC复合镀层组织和性能的研究

在A3钢板上制备了含有微米和纳米 SiC 的两种镍基复合镀层, 利用扫描电镜观察镀层表面显微组织, 利用X射线能谱分析SiC的分布情况, 通过纳米显微力学探针测量镀层微区硬度. 结果表明 : SiC 颗粒在镀层中分布均匀; SiC 颗粒附近复合镀层的硬度是纯镍镀层的 3 倍, 微米 SiC 复合镀层的弹性模量比纯镍镀层提高了近 5 倍, 而纳米 SiC 复合镀层则提高了 15 倍以上, 但随着远离 SiC 镀层硬度和弹性模量都有明显下降; SiC 颗粒的加入能够有效阻止镀层表面发生变形, 纳米 SiC 的作用更明显.     

2％C／MoSi2复合材料的组织结构与性能

采用热压烧结工艺制得了2％C／MoSi2（质量分数）复合材料,并测定了材料的显微组织和结构、室温和高温力学性能、耐磨性能以及电阻率。结果:C／MoSi2复合材料由大量的MoSi2、多量的Mo5Si3和少量的β－SiC组成,其硬度Hv为1060,抗弯强度为470MPa,断裂韧性为5．12MPa.m^1/2,800℃的硬度Hv为750,1200℃的抗压强度为450MPa,1400℃的抗压强度为142MPa;在Al2O3和SiC磨盘上表现出优异的耐磨性能,材料的电阻率为349n.m。与纯MoSi2相比,2％C／MoSi2复合材料在硬度、抗弯强度、断裂性、高温抗压强度、弹性模量和耐磨性能等方面都有较大的提高。     

Load partitioning in honeycomb-like silicon carbide aluminum alloy composites

A 50/50 vol.% Al/SiC composite was made via melt infiltration of an aluminum alloy into a porous beech wood-derived SiC preform. The honeycomb-like composite microstructure consisted of an interconnected SiC phase surrounding discrete Al “fibers” aligned in the growth direction of the beech wood. High energy synchrotron X-ray diffraction was used to measure the volume averaged lattice strains in both the SiC and Al phases during in situ compressive loading up to an applied stress of ?530 MPa. Load transfer from the Al to the SiC was observed, and the Al yielded at an applied stress of above ?213 MPa. The elastic behavior of the composite was modeled with both an isostrain rule of mixtures calculation and variational bounds for the effective elastic modulus. Furthermore, calculations of the von Mises effective stress of the SiC and Al phases showed that the wood-derived SiC was a more effective reinforcement than either SiC particle- or whisker-reinforced composites.     

Aging behavior of nano-SiCp reinforced AZ61 magnesium matrix composites

The mechanical properties of magnesium matrix composties can be further improved by aging treatment.To study the aging behavior of SiC particles reinforced AZ61 magnesium matrix composites fabricated by ultrasonic method,an investigation has been undertaken by means of Vickers hardness measurement,scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy spectrum analyzing apparatus.The box-type heat treatment furnace was used in the study.The results showed that no discontinuous cellular precipitation is observed at the grain boundaries in the magnesium matrix of the composite while the Mg17Al12 preferentially precipitates in the matrix.The time to reach the peak hardness for AZ61 alloy or SiCp/AZ61 magnesium matrix composites is reduced with the increase of aging temperature.At the same temperature,the composite exhibit an accelerated aging manner but lower aging efficiency,compared with the unreinforced matrix alloy.The microhardness of the composite is higher than that of the unreinforced matrix alloy,because that the SiC particles distributes homogeneously in the matrix alloy under the ultrasonic processing condition.     

Processing and response of aluminum-lithium alloy composites reinforced with copper-coated silicon carbide particulates

Lithium-containing aluminum alloys have shown promise for demanding aerospace applications because of their light weight, high strength, and good damage tolerance characteristics. Additions of ceramic reinforcements to an aluminum-lithium alloy can significantly enhance specific strength, and specific modulus while concurrently offering acceptable performance at elevated temperatures. The processing and fabrication of aluminum-lithium alloy-based composites are hampered by particulate agglomeration or clustering and the existence of poor interfacial relationships between the reinforcing phase and the matrix. The problem of distribution of the reinforcing phase in the metal matrix can be alleviated by mechanical alloying. This article presents the results of a study aimed at addressing and improving the interfacial relationship between the host matrix and the reinforcing phase. Copper-coated silicon carbide particulates are introduced as the particulate reinforcing phase, and the resultant composite mixture is processed by conventional milling followed by hot pressing and hot extrusion. The influence of extrusion ratio and extrusion temperature on microstructure and mechanical properties was established. Post extrusion processing by hot isostatic pressing was also examined. Results reveal the increase in elastic modulus of the aluminum-lithium alloy matrix reinforced with copper-coated SiC to be significantly more than the mechanically alloyed Al-Li/SiC counterpart. This suggests the possible contributions of interfacial strengthening on mechanical response in direct comparison with a uniform distribution of the reinforcing ceramic particulates.     

Effects of SiC Particle Size and Process Parameters on the Microstructure and Hardness of AZ91/SiC Composite Layer Fabricated by FSP

In this study, friction stir processing (FSP) was employed to develop a composite layer on the surface of as-cast AZ91 magnesium alloy using SiC particles (5 μm and 30 nm). The effects of the rotational and traverse speeds and the FSP pass number on the microstructure and microhardness of the friction stir processed (FSPed) layer with and without SiC particles were investigated. Optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were employed for microstructural analysis. FSP produces a homogeneous microstructure by eliminating the precipitates near the grain boundaries. The analyses showed that the effects of the rotational and traverse speeds on the microstructure of specimens produced without nano-sized SiC particles are considerable; however, they are negligible in the specimens with particles. While the second FSP pass enhances the microstructure and microhardness of the samples with SiC particles, it has no significant effect on such properties in the samples without SiC particles.     

弥散质点和SiC颗粒复合强化Al基复合材料 Ⅱ．性能和断裂特征

对机械合金化制备的Ａｌ_４Ｃ_３、Ａｌ_２Ｏ_３弥散质点和ＳｉＣ颗粒复合强化Ａｌ基复合材料进行了拉伸试验和断口分析，并测定了弹性模量和热膨胀系数．研究表明，在ＳｉＣ_ｐ／Ａｌ复合材料中引入弥散的Ａｌ_４Ｃ_３和Ａｌ_２Ｏ_３质点可以明显提高复合材料的室温和高温强度，随加入Ｃ含量的增加或Ａｌ粉氧化时间的加长，复合材料的强度提高．在Ａｌ_４Ｃ_３／Ａｌ复合材料的基础上加入ＳｉＣ颗粒可以提高复合材料的弹性模量并进一步降低其热膨胀系数．复合材料断口为大韧窝加细小韧窝的混合断口，随复合材料基体强度的增加，拉伸断口上断裂的ＳｉＣ颗粒数量增多．     

DISPERSOID AND SiC PARTICULATE STRENGTHENED Al COMPOSITES Ⅱ. PROPERTIES AND FRACTURE BEHAVIOUR

对机械合金化制备的Ａｌ_４Ｃ_３、Ａｌ_２Ｏ_３弥散质点和ＳｉＣ颗粒复合强化Ａｌ基复合材料进行了拉伸试验和断口分析，并测定了弹性模量和热膨胀系数．研究表明，在ＳｉＣ_ｐ／Ａｌ复合材料中引入弥散的Ａｌ_４Ｃ_３和Ａｌ_２Ｏ_３质点可以明显提高复合材料的室温和高温强度，随加入Ｃ含量的增加或Ａｌ粉氧化时间的加长，复合材料的强度提高．在Ａｌ_４Ｃ_３／Ａｌ复合材料的基础上加入ＳｉＣ颗粒可以提高复合材料的弹性模量并进一步降低其热膨胀系数．复合材料断口为大韧窝加细小韧窝的混合断口，随复合材料基体强度的增加，拉伸断口上断裂的ＳｉＣ颗粒数量增多．     

喷射沉积SiC_P／Al-7Si复合材料的疲劳裂纹扩展

采用紧凑拉伸试样进行恒载和降K控制的拉--拉疲劳实验, 研究了喷射沉积SiC_p/Al-7Si复合材料及其基体的疲劳裂纹扩展行为. 通过金相显微镜和扫描电镜观察了复合材料及其基体的组织和疲劳裂纹扩展形貌, 研究了SiC颗粒对复合材料疲劳裂纹扩展机制的影响. 结果表明: 复合材料在任何相同的ΔK水平下其抗疲劳裂纹扩展能力优于基体材料, 并表现出较高的疲劳门槛值. 其原因是复合材料中裂纹裂尖遇到增强颗粒时, 裂纹发生偏转, 特别是SiC颗粒自身微裂纹萌生有效降低了裂纹尖端的应力强度因子, 复合材料的裂纹闭合效应也随之增大. 去除裂纹闭合效应的影响, 当有效应力因子ΔK_eff作为裂纹扩展的驱动力时, 复合材料的裂纹扩展速率却高于基体.     

Mechanical Properties of Squeeze-Cast A356 Composites Reinforced With B4C Particulates

In this study, different volume fractions of B₄C particles were incorporated into the aluminum alloy by a mechanical stirrer, and squeeze-cast A356 matrix composites reinforced with B₄C particles were fabricated. Microstructural characterization revealed that the B₄C particles were distributed among the dendrite branches, leaving the dendrite branches as particle-free regions in the material. It also showed that the grain size of aluminum composite is smaller than that of monolithic aluminum. X-ray diffraction studies also confirmed the existence of boron carbide and some other reaction products such as AlB₂ and Al₃BC in the composite samples. It was observed that the amount of porosity increases with increasing volume fraction of composites. The porosity level increased, since the contact surface area was increased. Tensile behavior and the hardness values of the unreinforced alloy and composites were evaluated. The strain-hardening behavior and elongation to fracture of the composite materials appeared very different from those of the unreinforced Al alloy. It was noted that the elastic constant, strain-hardening and the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of the MMCs are higher than those of the unreinforced Al alloy and increase with increasing B₄C content. The elongation to fracture of the composite materials was found very low, and no necking phenomenon was observed before fracture. The tensile fracture surface of the composite samples was indicative of particle cracking, interface debonding, and deformation constraint in the matrix and revealed the brittle mode of fracture.     

Mechanical Behavior of a Magnesium Alloy Nanocomposite Under Conditions of Static Tension and Dynamic Fatigue

In this paper, the intrinsic influence of nano-alumina particulate (Al₂O_3p) reinforcements on microstructure, microhardness, tensile properties, tensile fracture, cyclic stress-controlled fatigue, and final fracture behavior of a magnesium alloy is presented and discussed. The unreinforced magnesium alloy (AZ31) and the reinforced composite counterpart (AZ31/1.5 vol.% Al₂O₃) were manufactured by solidification processing followed by hot extrusion. The elastic modulus, yield strength, and tensile strength of the nanoparticle-reinforced magnesium alloy were noticeably higher than the unreinforced counterpart. The ductility, quantified by elongation-to-failure, of the composite was observably lower than the unreinforced monolithic counterpart (AZ31). The nanoparticle-reinforced composite revealed improved cyclic fatigue resistance over the entire range of maximum stress at both the tested load ratios. Under conditions of fully reversed loading (R = ?1) both materials showed observable degradation in behavior quantified in terms of cyclic fatigue life. The conjoint influence of reinforcement, processing, intrinsic microstructural features and loading condition on final fracture behavior is presented and discussed.     

Superplastic behavior of PM SiCp/6061 aluminum alloy composites at high strain rates

The superplastic behavior of a powder-metallurgy processed 6061 Al composite was investigated as a function of SiC content increasing from 0% to 30% at 10% increments over a wide temperature range from 430°C to 610°C. The materials were found to be high-strain-rate superplastic. In the temperature range where grain boundary sliding (GBS) controlled the plastic flow, the strength of the composite was lower than that of the unreinforced matrix alloy even after compensating for grain size and threshold stress. This “particle weakening” was in contrast with the particle strengthening observed in the low temperature range where dislocation climb creep was found to control the plastic flow. In the GBS regime, the strength differential between the materials was a function of SiC content and temperature, which increased with the increase in SiC content and temperature. Strong Mg segregation was detected at interfaces between SiC and Al phases in the composites. Evidence for interfacial reaction reported in the Si₃N₄ reinforced 6061 Al composites could not be detected in the current composites. Extensive formation of whisker-like fibers was observed at the fractured surface of the tensile samples above the critical temperature where particle weakening begins to be exhibited. This result suggests the possibility that partial melting in the solute-enriched region near SiC interfaces is responsible for the particle weakening in the SiC reinforced 6061 Al composite.     

Oxidation-protective and mechanical properties of SiC nanowire-toughened Si–Mo–Cr composite coating for C/C composites

Oxidation-protective SiC nanowire-toughened Si–Mo–Cr composite coating prepared on the carbon/carbon (C/C) composites by chemical vapor deposition and pack cementation was investigated in this study. After incorporating SiC nanowires, the hardness, elastic modulus and fracture toughness of the composite coating were increased by 6.12%, 20.89% and 35.78%, respectively, due to the toughening and strengthening mechanisms including nanowire pullout, nanowire bridging, microcrack deflection and good interaction between nanowire/matrix interface. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed that the maximum weight loss of the coated C/C samples was decreased from 5.87% to 3.93% by incorporating SiC nanowires from room temperature to 1500 °C.