CNTs/Al复合材料应力松弛时效特性及建模研究

针对新一代航空航天用轻量化壁板结构用高比模量、比强度碳纳米管增强铝基复合材料(CNTs/Al)成形需求,研究了CNTs/Al应力松弛时效变形强化行为及其形性协同预测建模。在130℃条件下,对CNTs/AA2024开展了涵盖弹塑性初始加载条件(215 MPa、390 MPa和4%、6%)的应力松弛时效强化系列实验。结果表明,CNTs/AA2024的应力松弛曲线呈现较短的初始变速率松弛阶段(2.5 h)和稳定速率松弛阶段;进入塑性阶段后,应力松弛量未明显提高,可能来源于CNTs对位错移动的阻碍作用。在390 MPa初始应力下,材料的屈服强度随时间延长而提高,在5 h左右达到峰值时效,屈服强度为485 MPa,至16 h未出现明显过时效。在相同时效时间下,CNTs/AA2024屈服强度随着初始应力的提高而增加;塑性加载阶段,屈服强度提升效果更为明显(576 MPa),主要是由于加工硬化和位错诱导析出强化的协同作用。进一步的,建立了针对CNTs/AA2024应力松弛时效的统一本构模型,实现了其应力松弛变形、时效强化以及关键微观变量的协同预测。

Damping properties and mechanism of aluminum matrix composites reinforced with glass cenospheres

The damping properties were improved by preparing Al matrix composites reinforced with glass cenospheres through the pressure infiltration method.Transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy were employed to characterize the microstructure of the composites.The low-frequency damping properties were examined by using a dynamic mechanical thermal analyzer,aiming at exploring the changing trend of damping capacity with strain,temperature,and frequency.The findings demonstrated that the damping value rose as temperature and strain increased,with a maximum value of 0.15.Additionally,the damping value decreased when the frequency increased.Dislocation damping under strain and interfacial damping under temperature served as the two primary damping mechanisms.The increase in the density of dislocation strong pinning points following heat treatment reduced the damping value,which was attributed to the heat treatment enhancement of the interfacial bonding force of the composites.

Effect of heat treatment on microstructure and thermophysical properties of diamond/2024 Al composites

50%diamond particle （5μm） reinforced 2024 aluminum matrix （diamond/2024 Al） composites were prepared by pressure infiltration method. Diamond particles were distributed uniformly without any particle clustering, and no apparent porosities or significant casting defects were observed in the composites. The diamond-Al interfaces of as-cast and annealed diamond/2024 Al composites were clean, smooth and free from interfacial reaction product. However, a large number of Al2Cu precipitates were found at diamond-Al interface after aging treatment. Moreover, needle-shaped Al2MgCu precipitates in Al matrix were observed after aging treatment. The coefficient of thermal expansion （CTE） of diamond/2024 Al composites was about 8.5×10-6 °C-1 between 20 and 100 °C, which was compatible with that with chip materials. Annealing treatment showed little effect on thermal expansion behavior, and aging treatment could further decrease the CTE of the composites. The thermal conductivity of obtained diamond/2024 Al composites was about 100 W/（m？K）, and it was slightly increased after annealing while decreased after aging treatment.

Development of Al-12Si-xTi system active ternary filler metals for Al metal matrix composites

To improve the wettability of Al metal matrix composites（Al-MMCs） by common filler metals,Al-12Si-xTi（x=0.1,0.5,1,3.0;mass fraction,%） system active ternary filler metals were prepared.It was demonstrated that although the added Ti existed within Ti（Al1-xSix）3（0≤x≤0.15） phase,the shear strength and shear fracture surface of the developed Al-12Si-xTi brazes were quite similar to those of traditional Al-12Si braze due to the presence of similar microstructure of Al-Si eutectic microstructure with large volume fraction.So,small Ti addition（～1%） did not make the active brazes brittle and hard compared with the conventional Al-12Si braze.The measured melting range of each Al-12Si-xTi foil was very similar,i.e.,580-590 ℃,because the composition was close to that of eutectic.For wettability improvement,with increasing Ti content,the interfacial gap between the Al2O3 reinforcement and filler metal（R/M） could be eliminated,and the amount of the remainder of the active fillers on the composite substrate decreased after sessile drop test at 610 ℃ for 30 min.So,the wettability improvement became easy to observe repeatedly with increasing Ti content.Additionally,the amount and size of Ti（AlSi）3 phase were sensitive to the Ti content（before brazing） and Si content（after brazing）.

In-situ homogeneous synthesis of carbon nanotubes on aluminum matrix and properties of their composites

Using nickel catalyst supported on aluminum powders, carbon nanotubes （CNTs） were successfully synthesized in aluminum powders by in-situ chemical vapor deposition at 650 ℃. Structural characterization revealed that the as-grown CNTs possessed higher graphitization degree and straight graphite shell. By this approach, more homogeneous dispersion of CNTs in aluminum powders was achieved compared with the traditional mechanical mixture methods. Using the in-situ synthesized CNTs/Al composite powders and powder metallurgy process, CNTs/Al bulk composites were prepared. Performance testing showed that the mechanical properties and dimensional stability of the composites were improved obviously, which was attributed to the superior dispersion of CNTs in aluminum matrix and the strong interfacial bonding between CNTs and matrix.

Effects of temperature on fracture behavior of Al-based in-situ composites reinforced with Mg_2Si and Si particles fabricated by centrifugal casting

An aluminum-based in-situ composites reinforced with Mg2Si and Si particles were produced by centrifugal casting A1-20Si-5Mg alloy. The microstructure of the composites was examined, and the effects of temperature on fracture behavior of the composite were investigated. The results show that the average fraction of primary Si and Mg2Si particles in the composites is as high as 38%, and ultimate tensile strengths （UTS） of the composites first increase then decrease with the increase of test temperature. Microstructures of broken specimens show that both the particle fracture and the interface debonding affect the fracture behavior of the composites, and the interface debonding becomes the dominant fracture mechanism with increasing test temperature. Comparative results indicate that rich particles in the composites and excellent interface strength play great roles in enhancing tensile property by preventing the movement of dislocations.

Effect of Ti-Si-Mg-Al wire on microstructure and mechanical properties of plasma arc in-situ welded joint of SiC_p/Al composites

The influence of Ti-Si-Mg-AI wire on microstructure and mechanical properties of SiCp/A1 metal matrix composite joints produced by plasma arc in-situ weld-alloying was investigated. Argon-nitrogen mixture was used as plasma gas and Ti-Si-Mg-A1 flux-cored wires as filled composites. Weldments were submitted to tensile test. Meanwhile, the macro morphology and microstructure of the joints were examined. The result shows that the formation ofneedie-like harmful phase A14C3 is effectively inhibited and the wettability of molten pool is improved by adding Ti-Si-Mg-A1 flux-cored wires. With 15Ti-5Si-5Mg-A1 flux-cored wire as filled composite, the maximum tensile strength of the welded joint is 267 MPa, which is up to 83% that of the matrix composites under annealed condition.

Preparation and microstructure of in-situ(ZrB_2+Al_2O_3+Al_3Zr)_p/A356 composite synthesized by melt direct reaction

（ZrB2＋Al2O3＋Al3Zr）/A356 composites were synthesized by melt direct reaction from A356-（K2ZrF6＋KBF4＋Na2B4O7） system.The phase compositions and the microstructures of the as-prepared composites were investigated by XRD,SEM and TEM.The results show that the reinforcements are composed of ZrB2 and Al2O3 ceramic phase particles and Al3Zr intermetallic particles.The ZrB2 particulates are easy to join together to form some particle clusters and distribute along the α（Al） grain boundary.The morphologies of the ZrB2 particulates are in hexagon-shape with the size of about 50 nm.The TEM investigation results of Al3Zr indicate that Al3Zr grows in the form of facet with the length-diameter ratio of about 20.The morphologies of Al2O3 particles are in rectangular-shape and ellipsoidal-shape,with the size of about 0.1 μm.In addition,the interfaces of the matrix and particles are net and no interfacial outgrowth is observed.

Tensile properties and hot extrusion behavior of Zn O-coated Mg_2B_2O_(5w)/6061 Al composites

The 6061 aluminum matrix composites reinforced with ZnO-coated Mg_2B_2O_5w were fabricated by squeeze casting method and followed by extruded under a technical equivalent condition. The mechanical properties and microstructures of the composites were investigated. The results showed that the elastic modulus of the as-cast composites increased straightly with increasing ZnO coating content. The ultimate tensile strength and yield strength of the as-cast composites rapidly increased initially and then declined with increasing ZnO coating content. However, the elongations of all the as-cast composites had similar values. The elongations of the composites were highly enhanced and the ultimate tensile strength of the composite without ZnO coating was the largest after extrusion. A number of whiskers in the composites with ZnO coating were fractured during the extrusion process, but the whiskers＇ breakage extent was limited with the increase of coating content.

Effect of Mg on nucleation process of recrystallization in Al-Mg-Si/SiC_p composite

The recrystallization nucleation processes of two cold-rolled Al-Mg-Si/SiCpcomposites with different contents of Mg are investigated mainly by dynamic mechanical analyzer （DMA） and electron microscopy including high angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy （HAADF-STEM） andhigh-resolution transmission electron microscopy （HRTEM）. Internal friction and electron microscopy results show that solute atom clusters are present in association with dislocationsin supersaturated cold-rolled composites. During recrystallization process, the internal friction peak position of Al-Mg-Si/3SiCp/2Mg （volume fraction,%） is higher than that of Al-Mg-Si/3SiCp（volume fraction,%） due to more solute atom clusters formed in association with the dislocations in the cold-rolled composite with a much higher Mg content, indicating a strongerresistance for the recrystallization nucleation.

Effect of heat treatment on microstructure and mechanical property of extruded 7090/SiC_p composite

The ultra high strength SiC particles （SiCp） reinforced Al-10%Zn-3.6%Mg-1.8%Cu-0.36%Zr-0.15% Ni composite was prepared by spray co-deposition. Microstructures of the extruded and different heat-treated bars were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy （TEM） and energy dispersive spectrometry （EDS）. Grain size of the composites prepared by two-stage solution is smaller than that by single-stage solution. After single-stage solution aging treatment, fine precipitates of both η and AlZnMgCu-rich phase can be found both intragranularly and intergranularly. While after the two-stage solution, an amorphous Si-Cu-Al-O （5 nm） layer appears at the interface. The addition of Ni and Zr modified the influence of the two-stage solution and inhibited the growth of the 7090/SiCp composite grain size. Heat treatments can significantly improve the fracture toughness of the composite. The fracture toughness first decreases then increases with the elongation of the aging time.

Preparation and mechanical properties of in situ Al_2O_3/Al composites by adding NH_4AlO(OH)HCO_3

Aluminium matrix composite reinforced by Al2O3 particles was produced by adding NH4AlO（OH）HCO3 into molten aluminum.The mechanical properties and wear behavior of the as-fabricated composites were studied.The results show that during stirring γ-Al2O3 particles were formed via decomposition reaction of NH4AlO（OH）HCO3,and the distribution of Al2O3 particles is more uniform in the matrix aluminum than directly added Al2O3 into molten aluminum.The density and the hardness values of the as-fabricated composites increase with increasing the particle volume fraction,while the tensile strength of the composites decreases with increasing the volume fraction of the Al2O3 particles.The wear rate of the composites decreases with increasing the volume fraction of the particle and loading.The in situ formed Al2O3/Al composite by adding NH4AlO（OH）HCO3 shows more superior mechanical and wear behaviors than that prepared by directly adding Al2O3 particles.

Effects of current density on preparation and performance of Al/conductive coating/α-PbO_2-Ce O_2-TiO_2/β-Pb O_2-MnO_2-WC-ZrO_2 composite electrode materials

Al/conductive coating/α-Pb O2-Ce O2-Ti O2/β-PbO 2-MnO 2-WC-Zr O2 composite electrode material was prepared on Al/conductive coating/α-PbO 2-Ce O2-Ti O2 substrate by electrochemical oxidation co-deposition technique. The effects of current density on the chemical composition, electrocatalytic activity, and stability of the composite anode material were investigated by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy（EDXS）, anode polarization curves, quasi-stationary polarization（Tafel） curves, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy（EIS）, scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, and X-ray diffraction（XRD）. Results reveal that the composite electrode obtained at 1 A/dm2 possesses the lowest overpotential（0.610 V at 500 A/m2） for oxygen evolution, the best electrocatalytic activity, the longest service life（360 h at 40 °C in 150 g/L H2SO4 solution under 2 A/cm2）, and the lowest cell voltage（2.75 V at 500 A/m2）. Furthermore, with increasing current density, the coating exhibits grain growth and the decrease of content of Mn O2. Only a slight effect on crystalline structure is observed.

Fractal analysis of fracture surfaces in aluminum borate whisker-reinforced aluminum alloy 6061 composite

The effect of interface reaction on the fractal dimensions of fracture surface in aluminum borate whisker-reinforced aluminum alloy 6061 composite was investigated. The composite was fabricated by squeeze-casting technique. The fracture surfaces created in tensile test were measured by vertical sectioning method. Fractal phenomena were found in two plots, in which the measuring units were from 3 to 15 μm and 1 to 5 μm, respectively. The relation was established between the tensile properties and fractal dimension with measuring units of 3-15 μm. The results show that the ultimate tensile strength increases while the fracture surface roughness increases with fractal dimension increasing due to the change in fracture mode depending on the degree of interface reaction status induced by heat treatment. But when the measuring units are 1-5 μm, fractal dimension does not change with heat treatment.

Effect of mechanical alloying time and rotation speed on evolution of CNTs/Al-2024 composite powders

Carbon nanotubes （CNTs） reinforced aluminum matrix composites were fabricated by mechanical milling followed by hot extrusion. The commercial Al-2024 alloy with 1% CNTs was milled under various ball milling conditions. Microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of the milled powder and consolidated bulk materials were examined by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, field emission scanning electron microscopy （FESEM） and mechanical test. The effect of CNTs concentration and milling time on the microstructure of the CNTs/Al-2024 composites was studied. Based on the structural observation, the formation behavior of nanostructure in ball milled powder was discussed. The results show that the increment in the milling time and ration speed, for a fixed amount of CNTs, causes a reduction of the particle size of powders resulting from MM. The finest particle size was obtained after 15 h of milling. Moreover, the composite had an increase in tensile strength due to the small amount of CNTs addition.

Distribution and engulfment behavior of TiB_2 particles or clusters in wedge-shaped copper casting ingot

Wedge-shaped copper casting experiment was conducted to study the engulfment behavior of TiB2 particle and the interaction between particle or cluster and the solid/liquid front in commercial pure aluminum matrix. The experimental results show that the particle size distribution obeys two separate systems in the whole wedge-cast sample. Furthermore, it is found that the big clusters are pushed to the center of the wedge shaped sample and the single particle or small clusters consisting of few particles are engulfed into the α-Al in the area of the sample edge. The cluster degree of particles varies in different areas, and its value is 0.2 and 0.6 for the cluster fraction in the edge and in the center of the wedge sample, respectively. The cluster diameter does not obey the normal distribution but approximately obeys lognormal distribution in the present work. More importantly, in the whole sample, the particle size obeys two separate log-normal distributions.

Wear performance of in-situ aluminum matrix composite after micro-arc oxidation

An attempt was made to modify the surface of in-situ aluminium matrix composite （AMC） by micro-arc oxidation （MAO）. In the microstructure of AMC, CuAl2 reinforcements were generated by introducing 15% CuO into the aluminium melt. AMC was hot forged, homogenised, quenched and artificially aged before the MAO in a KOH, KF and Na2SiO3-containing electrolyte. After the MAO process the surface of the AMC was covered with Al2O3 coating having an effective thickness of about 15μm. Appearance of crack and/or delamination free zones at the periphery of the indent after the Rockwell C adhesion test indicated good adhesion between the composite and the Al2O3 coating. During dry sliding wear tests, this adherent Al2O3coating resisted the destructive action of the Al2O3 ball and provided about 15 times enhancement in wear resistance as compared to the original state.

A review of particulate-reinforced aluminum matrix composites fabricated by selective laser melting

Selective laser melting(SLM)is an emerging layer-wise additive manufacturing technique that can generate complex components with high performance.Particulate-reinforced aluminum matrix composites(PAMCs)are important materials for various applications due to the combined properties of Al matrix and reinforcements.Considering the advantages of SLM technology and PAMCs,the novel SLM PAMCs have been developed and researched in recent years.Therefore,the current research progress about the SLM PAMCs is reviewed.Firstly,special attention is paid to the solidification behavior of SLM PAMCs.Secondly,the important issues about the design and fabrication of high-performance SLM PAMCs,including the selection of reinforcement,the influence of parameters on the processing and microstructure,the defect evolution and phase control,are highlighted and discussed comprehensively.Thirdly,the performance and strengthening mechanism of SLM PAMCs are systematically figured out.Finally,future directions are pointed out on the advancement of high-performance SLM PAMCs.

Characterization of cast A356 alloy reinforced with nano SiC composites

The microstructure and mechanical properties of nano composites processed via stir casting were studied. The composites were based on the A356 aluminum alloy reinforced with nano SiC particles. The density measurements show that the samples contain little porosity and the amount of porosity in the composites increases with increasing volume fraction of SiC. The microstructures of the composites were examined using optical microscope and transmission electron microscope. Microscopic observations of the microstructures reveal that the dispersion of the particles is uniform. The yield strength, ultimate tensile strength and the elastic modulus are improved with the addition of nano particles although some reduction in ductility is observed. The highest yield strength and ultimate tensile strength are obtained with the addition of 3.5% SiC nano-particles. A relatively ductile fracture in tensile fractured samples was observed by fractography examination.

Microstructural and abrasive wear properties of SiC reinforced aluminum-based composite produced by compocasting

The effect of SiC particles reinforcement with average size of 1, 5, 20 and 50 μm and volume fraction of 5%, 10% and 15% on the microstructure and tribological properties of Al-based composite was investigated. Composites were produced by applying compocasting process. Tribological properties of the unreinforced alloy and composites were studied using pin-on-disc wear tester, under dry sliding conditions at different specific loads. The influence of secondary mechanical processing with different rolling reductions on the dry sliding wear characteristics of Al matrix composites was also assessed. Hardness measurement and scanning electron microscopy were used for microstructural characterization and investigation of worn surfaces and wear debris. The proper selection of process parameter such as pouring temperature, stirring speed, stirring time, pre-heated temperature of reinforcement can all influence the quality of the fabricated composites. The porosity level of composite should be minimized and the chemical reaction between the reinforcement and matrix should be avoided.