Morphology and Frictional Characteristics Under Electrical Currents of Al_2O_3/Cu Composites Prepared by Internal Oxidation

Two Al2O3/Cu composites containing 0.24 wt.% Al2O3 and 0.60 wt.% Al2O3 separately are prepared by internal oxidation. Effects of sliding speed and pressure on the frictional characteristics of the composites and copper against brass are investigated and compared. The changes in morphology of the sliding surface and subsurface are examined with scanning electron microscope （SEM） and energy dispersive X-ray spectrum （EDS）. The results show that the wear resistance of the Al2O3/Cu composites is superior to that of copper under the same conditions, Under a given electrical current, the wear rate of Al2O3/Cu composites decreases as the Al2O3-content increases, However, the wear rates of the Al2O3/Cu composites and copper increase as the sliding speed and pressure increase under dry sliding condition. The main wear mechanisms for Al2O3/Cu composites are of abrasion and adhesion; for copper, it is adhesion, although wear by oxidation and electrical erosion can also be observed as the speed and pressure rise.

Effect of CuO particle size on synthesis temperature and microstructure of Al_2O_(3p)-Al composites from Al-CuO system

Al2O3p-Al composites were synthesized using an in-situ reaction in the 80%Al-20%CuO （mass fraction） system. The effects of the CuO particle size on the synthesis temperature and microstructure of the composites were investigated by various methods. The results indicate that the CuO particle size has a significant effect on the temperature at which the complete reaction in the Al-CuO system occurs：the temperature is 200 ℃ lower in the Al-CuO system containing CuO particles with sizes less than 6μm than that containing CuO particles with sizes less than 100μm. The interfacial bonding between Al2O3 particles and Al is not complete when the temperature is below a critical value. The morphology of the Al2O3 particles varies from ribbon-like shape to near spherical shape when the temperature is above a critical value. These two critical temperatures are affected by the particle size of CuO, and the critical temperature of the sample containing CuO particles with sizes less than 6μm is 100 ℃ lower than that of the sample containing CuO particles with sizes less than 100μm.

Reaction thermodynamics and kinetics on in situ Al_2O_3/Cu composites

The preferred internal oxidation of aluminum in Cu Al alloy was used to obtain in situ Al 2O 3/Cu composites. The reinforcement particles were mainly γ Al 2O 3, some θ Al 2O 3 and a little α Al 2O 3. Thermodynamics analyses show that the chemical reactions are 3Cu 2O+2Al=6Cu+Al 2O 3 or 3CuO+2Al=3Cu+Al 2O 3. A related equilibrium diagram was drawn. The experiments and investigation show that the formation rate of Al 2O 3 was controlled by the diffusion of oxygen in matrix.

Al-Si/Al_2O_3 in situ composite prepared by displacement reaction of CuO/Al system

Al2O3 particle-reinforced ZL109 composite was prepared by in situ reaction between CuO and Al2O3 . The microstructure was observed by means of OM, SEM and TEM. The Al2O3 particles in sub-micron sizes distribute uniformly in the matrix, and the Cu displaced from the in situ reaction forms net-like alloy phases with other alloy elements. The hardness and the tensile strength of the composites at room temperature have a slight increase as compared to that of the matrix. However, the tensile strength at 350℃ has reached 90.23 MPa, or 16.92 MPa higher than that of the matrix. The mechanism of the reaction in the CuO/AI system was studied by using of differential scanning calorimetry（DSC） and thermodynamic calculation. The reaction between CuO and Al involves two steps. First, CuO reacts with Al to form Cu20 and Al2O3 at the melting temperature of the matrix alloy, and second, Cu20 reacts with Al to form Cu and Al2O3 at a higher temperature. At ZL109 casting temperature of 750- 780 ℃, the second step can also take place because of the effect of exothermic reaction of the first step.

Al2_3/Al2O3 Joint Brazed with Al2O3-particulate-contained Composite Ag-Cu-Ti Filler Material

Microstructure and interracial reactions of Al2O3 joints brazed with Al2O3-particulate-contained composite Ag-Cu-Ti filler material were researched by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, electron probe microscopy analysis （EPMA）, energy dispersive spectroscopy （EDS） and X-ray diffraction （XRD）. The interracial reaction layer thickness of joints brazed with conventional active filler metal and active composite filler materials with different volume fraction of Al2O3 particulate was also studied. The experimental results indicated although there were Al2O3 particulates added into active filler metals, the time dependence of interracial layer growth of joints brazed with active composite filler material is t^1/2 as described by Fickian law as the joints brazed with conventional active filler metal.

High Temperature Flow Stress Prediction of Nano-Al_2O_3/Cu Composite Using an Artificial Neural Network

Alumina dispersion strengthened copper composite （nano-Al2O3/Cu composite） was recently emerged as a kind of potentially viable and attractive engineering material for applications requiring high strength, high thermal and electrical conductivities and resistance to softening at elevated temperatures. The nano-Al2O3/Cu composite was produced by internal oxidation. The microstructures of the composite were analyzed by the TEM and its hot deformation behavior was investigated by means of continuous compression tests performed on a Gleeble 1500 thermo-simulator. Making use of the modified algorithm-Levenberg-Marquardt （L-M） algorithm BP neural network, a model for predicting the flow stresses during hot deformation was set up on the base of the experimental data. Results show that the microstructures of the composite are characterized by uniform distribution of nano-Al2O3 particles in Cu-matrix. The sliding of dislocations is the main deformation mechanism. The dynamic recovery is the main softening mode with the flow stress decreasing gently from 500℃ to 850 ~C. The recrystallization of Cu-matrix can be retarded late into as high as 850 ℃, when it happens only partially. The well-trained BP neural network model can accurately describe the influence of the temperature, strain rate, and true strain on the flow stresses, therefore, it can precisely predict the flow stresses of the composite under given deforming conditions and provide a new way to optimize hot deforming process parameters.

Microstructure and evolution of(TiB_2+Al_2O_3)/NiAl composites prepared by self-propagation high-temperature synthesis

（TiB2＋Al2O3）/NiAl composites were synthesized by self-propagation high-temperature synthesis, and their phase compositions, microstructures and evolution modes were studied. The microstructures and shapes vary with the TiB2＋Al2O3 content in the NiAl matrix. TiB2 particles take a great variety of elementary shapes such as white bars, plates, herringbones, regular cubes and cuboids. These results outline a strategy of self-assembly processes in real time to build diversified microstructures. Some TiB2 grains in sizes of 2-5μm are embeded in Al2O3 clusters, while a small number of TiB2 particles disperse in the NiAl matrix. It is believed that the higher the TiB2＋Al2O3 content is, the more the regular shapes and homogeneous distributions of TiB2 and Al2O3 will be present in the NiAl matrix.

Fractal analysis of crack paths in Al_2O_3-TiC-4%Co composites

Al2O3-TiC-4%Co(volume fraction) composites(ATC) with high toughness (7.8±0.8 MPa·m1/2) and strength (782±60 MPa) were fabricated. In comparison with Al2O3-TiC composites(AT), the fracture toughness was significantly improved by 60%. The crack paths, generated by Vickers indentation on the polished surfaces of both composites, were analyzed from a fractal point of view to distinguish the possible toughening mechanisms involved. Quantitative evaluation of indentation cracks indicates that the crack deflection plays a more effective role. Cracks of the ATC composites show higher deflection angles and more deflections along the path. ATC composites present higher fractal dimension (D=1.07) than AT composites (D=1.02), which is directly related to the higher fracture toughness. A significant relationship between crack path and toughness is evident: the more irregular the geometry of the crack, the higher the fracture toughness.

Hot deformation and processing maps of Al_2O_3/Al composites fabricated by flake powder metallurgy

The deformation behaviors of Al2O3/Al composites were investigated by compressive tests conducted at temperature of 300-450 °C and strain rates of 0.001-1.0 s-1 with Gleeble-1500 D thermal simulator system. The results show that the flow stress increases with increasing strain rate and decreasing temperature. The hyperbolic sine constitutive equation can describe the flow stress behavior of Al2O3/Al composites, and the deformation activation energy and constitutive equations were calculated. The processing maps of Al2O3/Al-2 μm and Al2O3/Al-1 μm composites at strain of 0.6 were obtained and the optimum processing domains are in ranges of 300-330 °C, 0.007-0.03 s-1 and 335-360 °C, 0.015-0.06 s-1 for hot working, respectively. The instability zones of flow behavior can also be recognized by the maps.

Preparation of Al_2O_3/Au nano-laminated composite coatings and their oxidation resistance on stainless steel

Al2O3/Au nano-laminated composite coatings were prepared by means of magnetron sputtering. The coating was compact and comprised of nano-laminated Al2O3 and Au layers. High temperature cyclic oxidation test was employed to investigate the oxidation resistance of the composite coatings. The results revealed that the applied Al2O3/Au nano-laminated composite coatings improved the oxidation and spallation resistance of the stainless steel substrate significantly. The mechanism accounting for oxidation resistance was related with the suppression of inward oxygen diffusion and selective oxidation of Cr in the substrate. The mechanism accounting for spallation resistance was attributed to the relaxation of thermal stress by the nano-laminated structure.

Tape Casting of Al_2O_3-TiB_2/Al_2O_3-Nano-TiC Multilayer Composites

Ceramic tapes, containing Al2O3-25 wt pct TiB2(B) and Al2O3-25 wt pct nano-TiC (c), have been obtained by tape casting process. Numerous tapes (about 60～80 tapes) were prepared by stacking in turn the composition (B) and (C), laminating under 10 MPa pressure, eliminating the solvent and burning out the polymer additives. The final green bodies were hot pressed at 1750℃ and 30 MPa. The composite has a bending strength of 568 MPa and a fracture toughness of 5.8 M Pa·m1/2. SEM analysis exhibits that Al2O3 particle growth was inhibited by TiC particles in C. but TiB2 particles could not hinder Al2O3 growth in B. The curves of GTA indicates that all organic additives could be removed completely above 600℃

High Temperature Deformation of Al_2O_3/Cu Composites

This work concerns with the high temperature deformation of internally oxidized Al2O3/Cu composites. The investigation revealed that dispersive alumina can obstruct dislocation sliding and define the subgrain size thereby improve significantly the strength of the materials at high temperature. The sliding of dislocations is a main deformation mechanism in the given temperature range. The sliding of grain boundary and diffusive creep play important roles at high temperature and low strain rate. The dispersoids can raise the recrystallization temperature to higher than 1223 K. Dynamic recovery is a main softening way under the experimental conditions. Higher deformation rate and lower deformation temperature imply a higher flow stress.

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Submicron-grained NiAl-Al_2O_3 Composite Prepared by Pulse Current Auxiliary Sintering

Dense and submicron-grained NiAl-Al2O3 composite was fabricated by pulse current auxiliary sintering（PCAS）.Its microstructure was analyzed by XRD,SEM and TEM,and its mechanical behavior was evaluated through compression test and fracture toughness test.The average grain sizes of NiAl and Al2O3 are about 200 nm and 100 nm respectively.The Al2O3 particles dispersed in NiAl matrix,forming intergranular structure and intragranular structure.During sintering,Al2O3 particles were remarkably spherized due to the unique sintering mechanism of PCAS,which is beneficial to the improvement of toughness.The NiAl-Al2O3 composite exhibits high compressive yield strength,whether at room temperature or elevated temperature.Its room-temperature（23 ℃） and elevated-temperature（1 200 ℃） compressive yield strength are up to 2 050 MPa and 140 MPa,respectively.Meanwhile,its fracture toughness is significantly enhanced,which is up to 8.2 MPa？m1/2.It is suggested that the main strengthening-toughening mechanisms are grain refinement strengthening and Al2O3 dispersion strengthening.The fracture of larger NiAl grain is the transgranular cleavage and this is induced by crack tip deflection and grain boundary weakening which are caused by intergranular and intragranular Al2O3 particles,respectively.

Recovery of valuable elements from spent YBa_2Cu_3O_(7-x)/Agcomposite superconductor bulks

Silver as a highly conductive metal is usually doped in YBa2Cu3O7-x superconductor bulks to improve critical current density of YBa2Cu3O7-x superconductor.The valuable metal elements silver,yttrium,barium and copper in waste YBa2Cu3O7-x/Ag composite superconductor bulks were recovered,respectively.Silver was recovered with process at first,the waste was dissolved by nitric acid and silver chloride was precipitated by adding chloride acid,then silver pig was obtained by melting silver chloride together with sodium carbonate at 1 000℃.The effective factors on recovery ratio and purity of silver were studied.The chemical analysis proves that the purity of silver ingot is 95.86%.The recovery ratio of silver is calculated to be 92.56%.The loss of silver may be due to the loss of silver chloride during filtering and the volatilization of silver when silver chloride and sodium carbonate are smelted at high temperature.For other three metal elements,Y3 +,Ba 2+and Cu 2+,in the surplus waste liquid after recovering silver, they were separated with the sequence of barium,copper and then yttrium step by step.First,sulfate acid was used to precipitate barium sulfate.Then,sodium sulfide was added to the surplus solution so that copper could be separated as copper sulfide.During this separation procedure,it was important to control the pH value to be 1-2.After that,oxalic acid was added into the surplus solution to obtain yttrium oxalate.Finally,yttrium oxide was formed by burning yttrium oxalate.The XRD results indicate that the final products are all single-phase compounds as BaSO4,CuS and Y2O3,respectively.

Thermal shock fatigue behavior of TiC/Al_2O_3 composite ceramics

The thermal shock fatigue behaviors of pure hot-pressed alumina and 30 wt.% TiC/Al2O3 composites were studied. The effect of TiC and Al2O3 starting particle size on the mechanical properties of the composites was discussed. Indentation-quench test was conducted to evaluate the effect of thermal fatigue temperature difference （ΔT） and number of thermal cycles （Ⅳ） on fatigue crack growth （Δa）. The mechanical properties and thermal fatigue resistance of TiC/Al203 composites are remarkably improved by the addition of TiC. The thermal shock fatigue of monolithic alumina and TiC/Al2O3 composites is due to a ＂true＂ cycling effect （thermal fatigue）. Crack deflection and bridging are the predominant reasons for the improvement of thermal shock fatigue resistance of the composites.

IN SITU PROCESSING OF Al_(2)O_(3) WHISKERS REINFORCED Ti-Al INTERMETALLIC COMPOSITES

In situ Al2O3 whiskers reinforced Ti-Al intermetallic composites were fabricated at ~1200℃ by reaction sintering of cold-consolidated fillets consisting mainly of Ti, Al, and different additives. The phases and microstructures of the sintered composites were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The process of synthesis was investigated using differential thermal analysis (DTA). The effects of processing parameters and additives on the microstructures of the composites and the development of whisker were examined. It is found that the morphology of the whisker is strongly influenced by the additives, the exothermal reaction process, and the processing parameters.

Characterization and performance of Cu/ZnO/Al_2O_3 catalysts prepared via decomposition of M(Cu,Zn)-ammonia complexes under sub-atmospheric pressure for methanol synthesis from H_2 and CO_2

Methanol synthesis from hydrogenation of CO2 is investigated over Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalysts prepared by decomposition of M（Cu,Zn）-ammonia complexes （DMAC） at various temperatures.The catalysts were characterized in detail,including X-ray diffraction,N2 adsorption-desorption,N2O chemisorption,temperature-programmed reduction and evolved gas analyses.The influences of DMAC temperature,reaction temperature and specific Cu surface area on catalytic performance are investigated.It is considered that the aurichalcite phase in the precursor plays a key role in improving the physiochemical properties and activities of the final catalysts.The catalyst from rich-aurichalcite precursor exhibits large specific Cu surface area and high space time yield of methanol （212 g/（Lcat·h）;T=513 K,p=3MPa,SV=12000 h-1）.

Kinetics of Oxidation for β-Sialon in Diphase β-Sialon/Al_2O_3 Composite

Non-isothermal kinetic research has been carried out on oxidation behavior of β-Sialon in diphaseβ-Sialon/Al_2O_3 composite at high temperatures. A kinetic formula is established for non-isothermal oxidation process of β-Sialon. The rate of oxidation process is controlled by chemicalreaction at the initial stage and then by diffusion. The apparent activation energies and appar-ent rate constants at different temperatures are determined by treating TG data of the overallprocess.

Effect of hot extrusion on microstructure and tribological behavior of Al_(2)O_(3p) reinforced 7075 aluminum-matrix composites

The effects of hot extrusion and addition of Al_(2)O_(3p) on both microstructure and tribological behavior of 7075 composites were investigated via optical microscopy(OM),scanning electron microscopy(SEM),energy dispersive spectrometry(EDS),and transmission electron microscopy(TEM).The experimental consequences reveal that the optimal addition of Al_(2)O_(3p) was 2 wt%.After hot extrusion,the Mg(Zn,Cu,Al)2 phases partially dissolve into the matrix and generate many uniformly distributed aging precipitation particles,the Al_(7)Cu_(2)Fe phases are squeezed and broken,and the Al_(2)O_(3p) become uniform distribution.The microhardness of as-extruded 2 wt%Al_(2)O_(3p)/7075 composites reaches HV 170.34,increased by 41.5%than as-cast composites.The wear rate of as-extruded 2 wt%Al_(2)O_(3p)/7075 composites is further lower than that of as-cast composites under the same condition.SEM-EDS analyses reveal that the reinforced wear resistance of composites can put down to the protective effect of the Al_(2)O_(3p) reinforced transition layer.After hot extrusion,the transition layer becomes stable,which determines the reinforced wear resistance of the as-extruded composites.

Effect of MoSi_2 content on dielectric and mechanical properties of MoSi_2/Al_2O_3 composite coatings

Molybdenum disilicide （MoSi2） sheath and aluminum oxide （Al2O3） core blended powders were fabricated by spray drying. A derived coating material was produced for the application as microwave absorbers using the as prepared powders by atmospheric plasma spray （APS） technology. The effects of MoSi2/Al2O3 mass ratio on the dielectric and physical mechanical properties of the composite coatings were investigated. When the MoSi2 content of the composites increases from 0 to 45%, the flexure strength and fracture toughness improve from 198 to 324 MPa and 3.05 to 4.82 MPa-m1/2 then decline to 310 MPa and 4.67 MPa-m1/2, respectively. The dielectric loss tangent increases with increasing MoSi2 content, and the real part of permittivity decreases conversely over the frequency range of 8.2-12.4 GHz. These effects are due to the agglomeration of early molten MoSi2 particles and the increase of the electrical conductivity with increasing MoSi2 content.