Research progress in friction stir processing of magnesium alloys and their metal matrix surface composites: Evolution in the 21^(st )century

Rising concerns about climate change drive the demand for lightweight components.Magnesium(Mg)alloys are highly valued for their low weight,making them increasingly important in various industries.Researchers focusing on enhancing the characteristics of Mg alloys and developing their Metal Matrix Composites(MMCs)have gained significant attention worldwide over the past decade,driven by the global shift towards lightweight materials.Friction Stir Processing(FSP)has emerged as a promising technique to enhance the properties of Mg alloys and produce Mg-MMCs.Initially,FSP adapted to refine grain size from the micro to the nano level and accelerated the development of MMCs due to its solid-state nature and the synergistic effects of microstructure refinement and reinforcement,improving strength,hardness,ductility,wear resistance,corrosion resistance,and fatigue strength.However,producing defect-free and sound FSPed Mg and Mg-MMCs requires addressing several variables and their interdependencies,which opens up a broad range of practical applications.Despite existing reviews on individual FSP of Mg,its alloys,and MMCs,an attempt has been made to analyze the latest research on these three aspects collectively to enhance the understanding,application,and effectiveness of FSP for Mg and its derivatives.This review article discusses the literature,classifies the importance of Mg alloys,provides a historical background,and explores developments and potential applications of FSPed Mg alloys.It focuses on novel fabrication methods,reinforcement strategies,machine and tool design parameters,material characterization,and integration with other methods for enhanced properties.The influence of process parameters and the emergence of defects are examined,along with specific applications in mono and hybrid composites and their microstructure evolution.The study identifies promising reinforcement materials and highlights research gaps in FSP for Mg alloys and MMCs production.It concludes with significant recommendations for further exploration,reflecting ongoing advancements in this field.

Microstructure and properties of Cu matrix composites reinforced with surface-modified Kovar particles

The thermal conductivity of Cu/Kovar composites was improved by suppressing element diffusion at the interfaces through the formation of FeWO_(4)coating on the Kovar particles via vacuum deposition.Cu matrix composites reinforced with unmodified(Cu/Kovar)and modified Kovar(Cu/Kovar@)particles were prepared by hot pressing.The results demonstrate that the interfaces of Cu/FeWO_(4)and FeWO_(4)/Kovar in the Cu/Kovar@composites exhibit strong bonding,and no secondary phase is generated.The presence of FeWO_(4)impedes interfacial diffusion within the composite,resulting in an increase in grain size and a decrease in dislocation density.After surface modification of the Kovar particle,the thermal conductivity of Cu/Kovar@composite is increased by 110%from 40.6 to 85.6 W·m^(-1)·K^(-1).Moreover,the thermal expansion coefficient of the Cu/Kovar@composite is 9.8×10^(-6)K^(-1),meeting the electronic packaging requirements.

Droplet Self-Driven Characteristics on Wedge-Shaped Surface with Composite Gradients:A Molecular Dynamics Study

The self-driven behavior of droplets on a functionalized surface,coupled with wetting gradient and wedge patterns,is systematically investigated using molecular dynamics(MD)simulations.The effects of key factors,including wedge angle,wettability,and wetting gradient,on the droplet self-driving effect is revealed from the nanoscale.Results indicate that the maximum velocity of droplets on hydrophobic wedge-shaped surfaces increases with the wedge angle,accompanied by a rapid attenuation of driving force;however,the average velocity decreases with the increased wedge angle.Conversely,droplet movement on hydrophilic wedge-shaped surfaces follows the opposite trend,particularly in terms of average velocity compared to the hydrophobic case.Both wedge-shaped and composite gradient wedge-shaped surfaces are found to induce droplet motion,with droplets exhibiting higher speeds and distances on hydrophobic surfaces compared to hydrophilic surfaces,regardless of surface type.Importantly,the inclusion of wettability gradients significantly influences droplet motion,with hydrophobic composite gradient wedge-shaped surfaces showing considerable improvements in droplet speed and distance compared to their hydrophilic counterparts.By combining suitable wettability gradients with wedge-shaped surfaces,the limitations inherent in the wettability gradient range and wedge-shaped configuration can be mitigated,thereby enhancing droplet speed and distance.The findings presented in this paper offer valuable insights for the design of advanced functional surfaces tailored for manipulating droplets in real-world applications.

INTEGRATION SHAPE AND SIZING OPTIMIZATION OF COMPOSITE WING STRUCTURE BASED ON RESPONSE SURFACE METHOD

An effective optimization method for the shape/sizing design of composite wing structures is presented with satisfying weight-cutting results. After decoupling, a kind of two-layer cycled optimization strategy suitable for these integrated shape/sizing optimization is obtained. The uniform design method is used to provide sample points, and approximation models for shape design variables. And the results of sizing optimization are construct- ed with the quadratic response surface method （QRSM）. The complex method based on QRSM is used to opti- mize the shape design variables and the criteria method is adopted to optimize the sizing design variables. Compared with the conventional method, the proposed algorithm is more effective and feasible for solving complex composite optimization problems and has good efficiency in weight cutting.

A METHOD FOR PREDICTING BUCKLING LOADS OF COMPOSITE LAMINATED STRIPS WITH A SURFACE NOTCH

Surface notches lower the stiffness of laminated strips, so they lower the buckling loads of the laminated strips, too. In this paper a new method is proposed to predict the buckling loads of the laminated strips with a surface notch. The theoretical and experimental results show that the buckling loads decrease as the depth or width of the surface notches increase; when the stacking sequence of the laminated strips is [0°/0°/+ θ/-θ/0°/0°/+θ/-θ] s , the buckling load decrease as θ increases. It proves that the method is reliable and significant.

Composite Structural Optimization by Genetic Algorithm and Neural Network Response Surface Modeling

Neural-Network Response Surfaces （NNRS） is applied to replace the actual expensive finite element analysis during the composite structural optimization process. The Orthotropic Experiment Method （OEM） is used to select the most appropriate design samples for network training. The trained response surfaces can either be objective function or constraint conditions. Together with other conven- tional constraints, an optimization model is then set up and can be solved by Genetic Algorithm （GA）. This allows the separation between design analysis modeling and optimization searching. Through an example of a hat-stiffened composite plate design, the weight response surface is constructed to be objective function, and strength and buckling response surfaces as constraints; and all of them are trained through NASTRAN finite element analysis. The results of optimization study illustrate that the cycles of structural analysis ean be remarkably reduced or even eliminated during the optimization, thus greatly raising the efficiency of optimization process. It also observed that NNRS approximation can achieve equal or even better accuracy than conventional functional response surfaces.

Surface hardening of Fe-based alloy powders by Nd:YAG laser cladding followed by electrospark deposition with WC-Co cemented carbide

This paper presents the results of a study concerned with the surface hardening of Fe-based alloys and WC-8Co cemented carbide by inte- grating laser cladding and the electrospark deposition processes. Specimens of low carbon steel were processed firstly by laser cladding with Fe-based alloy powders and then by electrospark deposition with WC-SCo cemented carbide. It is shown that, for these two treatments, the electrospark coating possesses finer microstructure than the laser coating, and the thickness and surface hardness of the electrospark coating can be substantially increased.

Parametric Optimization to Minimise the Surface Roughness on the Machining of GFRP Composites

The present investigation focuses on the parametric influence of machining parameters on the surface finish obtained in turning of glass fiber reinforced polymer （GFRP） composites. The experiments were conducted based on Taguchi＇s experimental design technique. Response surface methodology and analysis of variance （ANOVA） were used to evaluate the composite machining process to perform the optimization. The results revealed that the feed rate was main influencing parameter on the surface roughness. The surface roughness increased with increasing the feed rate but decreased with increasing the cutting speed. Among the other parameters, depth of cut was more insensitive. The predicted values and measured values were fairly close to each other, which indicates that the developed model can be effectively used to predict the surface roughness on the machining of GFRP composites with 95% confidence intervals. Using such model could remarkablely save the time and cost.

Effect of rare earths surface treatment on tribological properties of carbon fibers reinforced PTFE composite under oil-lubricated condition

The effect of rare earths （RE） surface treatment of carbon fibers （CF） on tribological properties of CF reinforced polytetrafluoroethylene （PTFE） composites under oil-lubricated condition was investigated. Experimental results revealed that RE treated CF reinforced PTFE （CF/PTFE） composite had the lowest friction coefficient and wear under various applied loads and sliding speeds compared with untreated and air-oxidated composites. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS） study of carbon fiber surface showed that, after RE treatment, oxygen concentration increased obviously, and the amount of oxygen-containing groups on CF surfaces were largely increased. The increase in the amount of oxygen-containing groups enhanced interfacial adhesion between CF and PTFE matrix. With strong interfacial adhesion of the composite, stress could be effectively transmitted to carbon fibers; carbon fibers were strongly bonded with VITE matrix, and large scale rubbing-off of PTFE be prevented, therefore, tribological properties of the composite was improved.

Influence of Non-smooth Surface on Tribological Properties of Glass Fiber-epoxy Resin Composite Sliding against Stainless Steel under Natural Seawater Lubrication

With the development of bionics, the bionic non-smooth surfaces are introduced to the field of tribology. Although non-smooth surface has been studied widely, the studies of non-smooth surface under the natural seawater lubrication are still very fewer, especially experimental research. The influences of smooth and non-smooth surface on the frictional properties of the glass fiber-epoxy resin composite（GF/EPR） coupled with stainless steel 316 L are investigated under natural seawater lubrication in this paper. The tested non-smooth surfaces include the surfaces with semi-spherical pits, the conical pits, the cone-cylinder combined pits, the cylindrical pits and through holes. The friction and wear tests are performed using a ring-on-disc test rig under 60 N load and 1000 r/min rotational speed. The tests results show that GF/EPR with bionic non-smooth surface has quite lower friction coefficient and better wear resistance than GF/EPR with smooth surface without pits. The average friction coefficient of GF/EPR with semi-spherical pits is 0.088, which shows the largest reduction is approximately 63.18% of GF/EPR with smooth surface. In addition, the wear debris on the worn surfaces of GF/EPR are observed by a confocal scanning laser microscope. It is shown that the primary wear mechanism is the abrasive wear. The research results provide some design parameters for non-smooth surface, and the experiment results can serve as a beneficial supplement to non-smooth surface study.

Microstructure and wear characteristics of ATZ ceramic particle reinforced gray iron matrix surface composites

The alumina toughened zirconia(ATZ) ceramic particle reinforced gray iron matrix surface composite was successfully manufactured by pressureless infi ltration. The porous preform played a key role in the infi ltrating progress. The microstructure was observed by scanning electron microscopy(SEM); the phase constitutions was analyzed by X-ray diffraction(XRD); and the hardness and wear resistance of selected specimens were tested by hardness testing machine and abrasion testing machine, respectively. The addition of high carbon ferrochromium powders leads to the formation of white iron during solidifi cation. The wear volume loss rates of ATZ ceramic particle reinforced gray iron matrix surface composite decreases fi rst, and then tends to be stable. The wear resistance of the composite is 2.7 times higher than that of gray iron matrix. The reason is a combination of the surface hardness increase of gray iron matrix and ATZ ceramic particles and alloy carbides protecting effect on gray iron matrix.

Effect of Graphene Surface Functional Groups on the Mechanical Property of PMMA Microcellular Composite Foams

The functional groups on graphene sheets surface affect their dispersion and interfacial adhesion in polymer matrix. We compared the mechanical property of polymethymethacrylate（PMMA） microcellular foams reinforced with graphene oxide（GO） and reduced graphene oxide（RGO） to investigate this influence of functional groups. RGO sheets were fabricated by solvent thermal reduction in DMF medium. UV-Vis, FT-IR and XPS analyses indicate the difference of oxygen-containing groups on GO and RGO sheets surface. The observation of SEM illustrates that the addition of a smaller number of GO or RGO sheets causes a fine cellular structure of PMMA foams with a higher cell density(about 1011 cells/cm3) and smaller cell sizes（about 1-2 μm） owing to their remarkable heterogeneous nucleation effect. Compared to GO reinforced foams, the RGO/PMMA foams own lower cell density and bigger cell size in their microstructure, and their compressive strength is lower even when the reinforcement contents are the same and the foam bulk density is higher. These results indicate that the oxygen-containing groups on GO sheets’ surface are beneficial to adhere CO2 to realize a larger nucleation rate, and their strong interaction with PMMA matrix improves the mechanical property of PMMA foams.

Investigating the surface integrity of aluminium based composites machined by EDM

In the present work, the surface characteristics of Electrical Discharge Machined (EDM) Al (6351)eSiC and Al (6351)eSiCeB4C composites are investigated. The composites are prepared by employing the conventional stir casting technique, as it can produce better particle dispersion in the matrix. The detailed experimental study is performed on the composites by varying current (I), duty factor (t), pulse on time (Ton), and the gap voltage (V) in order to analyze the Heat Affected Zone (HAZ) formed in the sub surface and the average crater diameter formed on the machined surface of the composites as an output function. The formation of recast layers, presence of bubbles and the surface texture of the composites at various machining conditions are observed. The results show that the increased Metal Removal Rate (MRR) increases the depth of HAZ and the average crater diameter on the machined area. Further, the addition of B4C particles to the composite produces more surface defect than the AleSiC composite.

AN IN SITU SURFACE COMPOSITE AND GRADIENT MATERIAL OF Al-Si ALLOY PRODUCED BY ELECTROMAGNETIC FORCE

Because of the different conductivities between the primary phase (low electric conduc tivity) and the metal melt, electromagnetic force scarcely acts on the primary phase. Thus, an electromagnetic repulsive force applied by the metal melt exerts on the pri mary phase when the movement of the melt in the direction of electromagnetic force is limited. As a result, the repulsive force exerts on the primary phase to push them to move in the direction opposite to that of the electromagnetic force when the metal melt with primary phase solidifies under an electromagnetic force field. Based on this, a new method for production of in situ surface composite and gradient material by electromagnetic force is proposed. An in situ primary Si reinforced surface composite of Al-15wt%Si alloy and gradient material of Al-l9wt%Si alloy were produced by this method. The microhardness of the primary Si is HV1320. The reinforced phase size is in the range from 40μm to 100μm. The wear resistance of Al-Si alloy gradient material can be more greatly increased than that of their matrix material.

Preparation and characterization of different surface modified SiCp reinforced Al-matrix composites

The effects of SiCp surface modifications(Cu coating,Ni coating and Ni/Cu coating)on the microstructures and mechanical properties of Al matrix composites were investigated.Surface modification of SiC particles with Cu,Ni and Cu/Ni,respectively,was carried out by electroless plating method.SiCp/Al composites were prepared by hot pressed sintering followed by hot extrusion.The results show that the surface modification of SiC particles plays an effective role,which is relative to the type of surface coating,and the interfacial bonding become stronger in the following order:untreated SiCp<Ni(Cu)-coated SiCp<Ni/Cu-coated SiCp.The Ni/Cu-coated SiCp/Al composites exhibit the best comprehensive mechanical properties,with ultimate tensile strength(σUTS)and fracture strain(εf)of 389 MPa and 6.3%,respectively.Compared with that of untreated-SiCp/Al composites,theσUTS andεf are enhanced by 19.3%and 57.5%.

Effect of Na3AlF6 Addition and Surface Modification of SiCp on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of SiCp/Al Composites

Al-matrix composites reinforced with 56.5 vol% SiC were prepared by powder metallurgy with different amounts of additives and surface modifications of SiCp. The crystalline phase, morphology, elements on the surface of SiCp and the interface between SiCp and Al were characterized by XRD, SEM, EDS and EPMA. The results show that it is favorable for the reaction between TiO2-C on the surface of SiCp and Al at the SiCp-Al interface at 1 050 ℃. Besides, the process of Na3 AlF6 melting, dissolving and then contacting with Al2 O3 formed the NaF-AlF3-Al2 O3 system, which generated OAlF2-, promoting the dessolution of Al2 O3 film on the surface of Al powder. Na3 AlF6 meets the needs of chemical reaction in TiO2-C-Al system at the SiCpAl interface in the way of offering more molten Al. After 0.75 wt% Na3 AlF6 was added into raw materials, the whole TiO2-C film and most SiO2 film were destroyed and the interfacial bonding between SiCp and Al was keeping good, in which no obvious void and crack were observed. Meanwhile, no brittle Al4 C3 phase formed in the system. At this time, the flexure strength and density of samples presented optimal values, reaching up to 106.5 MPa and 90.77% respectively.

Optimization of process parameters for in situ casting of Al/TiB_2 composites through response surface methodology

The mathematical models were developed to predict the ultimate tensile strength （UTS） and hardness of Al/TiB2 MMCs fabricated by in situ reaction process. The process parameters include temperature, reaction time and mass fraction of TiB2. The in-situ casting was carried out based on three-factor five-level central composite rotatable design using response surface methodology （RSM）. The validation of the model was carried out using ANOVA. The mathematical models developed for the mechanical properties were predicted at 95% confidence limit.

Progressive Failure Evaluation of Composite Skin-Stiffener Joints Using Node to Surface Interactions and CZM

T shaped skin-stiffener joint are one of the most commonly used structures in aerospace components.It has been proven in various studies that these joints are susceptible to failure when loaded in pull out conditions however,in specific applications these joints undergo pull loading.De-lamination/de-bond nucleation and its growth is one of the most common failure mechanisms in a fiber reinforced composite structure.Crack growth takes place due to the induced interlaminar normal and shear stresses between different structural constituents when a load is applied.In this study,Finite Element Analysis has been performed using cohesive contact interactions on a composite T-joint to simulate the pull out test conditions.A simplified shell based model coupled with CZM is proposed,which can evaluate the failure initiation and progression accurately with lesser computational efforts.The final failure occurred at a displacement of 4.71 mm at the computed failure load of 472.57 kgf for basic configuration.Computed Failure load for the padded configuration is 672.8 kgf and corresponding displacement is 4.6 mm.The results obtained by the proposed numerical model are validated by experimental results and it is observed that predicted failure displacements and failure load calculated were correlating reasonably well with the experiment.

Magnesium based surface metal matrix composites by friction stir processing

Surface metal matrix composites(MMCs)are a group of modern engineered materials where the surface of the material is modified by dispersing secondary phase in the form of particles or fibers and the core of the material experience no change in chemical composition and structure.The potential applications of the surface MMCs can be found in automotive,aerospace,biomedical and power industries.Recently,friction stir processing(FSP)technique has been gaining wide popularity in producing surface composites in solid state itself.Magnesium and its alloys being difficult to process metals also have been successfully processed by FSP to fabricate surface MMCs.The aim of the present paper is to provide a comprehensive summary of state-of-the-art in fabricating magnesium based composites by FSP.Influence of the secondary phase particles and grain refinement resulted from FSP on the properties of these composites is also discussed.

Study of machining induced surface defects and its effect on fatigue performance of AZ91/15%SiCp metal matrix composite

The quality of surface generated in a peripheral milling of AZ91/SiCp/15%for varying machining conditions and its effect on the fatigue performance are investigated in this study.The machined surface quality was evaluated through roughness measurements and SEM micrographs of ine machined surface.Tensile iesis were pcifumicu io iiieasure the mechanical properties of the composite.Subsequently,fatigue life of milled specimens was measured through axial fatigue tests at four loading conditions.Optical and SEM/EDS micrographs of the fractured surface were studied to identify the crack initiation site and propagation mechanism.Specimens machined at a lower feed rate of 0.1 mm/rev was found to have excellent surface finish and consequently higher fatigue life.At 0.3 mm/rev,the presence of feed marks and other surface defects resulted in a drastic decrease in fatigue life.Five distinct regions were identified on the fractured surface,particle fracture along and perpendicular to the surface,voids in the matrix due to particle debonding and pull out and typical ductile failure of matrix with embedded SiC particles.