Hot extrusion of SiC_p/AZ91 Mg matrix composites

SiC particles reinforced AZ91 Mg matrix composites （SiCp/AZ91） with SiC volume fractions of 5%, 10% and 15% were fabricated by stir casting. After T4 treatment, these composites were extruded at 350 °C with an extrusion ratio of 12：1. In the as-cast composite, particles segregated at a microscopic scale within the intergranular regions. Hot extrusion almost eliminated this particle aggregation and improved the particle distribution of the composites. In addition, extrusion refined the grains of matrix. The results show that hot extrusion significantly improves the mechanical properties of the composites. In the as-extruded composite, with the increase of SiCp contents, the grain size of the extruded composites decreases, the strength and elastic modulus increase but the elongation decreases.

Effects of hot extrusion on microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg matrix composite reinforced with deformable TC4 particles

Mg matrix composites were often reinforced by non-deformable ceramic particles.In this paper,a novel Mg matrix composite reinforced with deformable TC4(Ti-6Al-4 V)particles was fabricated and then extruded.The evolutions of microstructure and mechanical properties of the composite during hot extrusion were investigated.Hoi extrusion refined giains and eliminated the segregation of TC4 particles.TC4 particles,as deformable particles,stimulated the nucleation of dynamic recrystallization during extrusion.However,since the deformation of TC4 particles partly released the stress concentrations around them,the recrystallized grains are just slightly smaller around TC4 particles than that away from them,which is evidently different from the case in Mg matrix composites reinforced by non-deformable ceramic particles.Compared with AZ91 matrix composites reinforced by SiC particles,the present composite possesses the superior comprehensive mechanical properties,which are attributed to not only the strong interfacial bonds between TC4p and matrix but also the deformability of TC4 particles.

Effect of solid waste materials on properties of magnesium matrix composites-A systematic review

The need for light and high specific strength materials in many fields such as automotive and aerospace is increasing day by day.Magnesium(Mg)-based materials have become attractive for many industries thanks to their high specific strength, good vibration damping ability, and recyclability. However, Mg’s low strength and wear resistance are important barriers limiting its industrial use. Researchers are developing Mg matrix composites using various reinforcements and expanding the use of Mg-based materials. The conventional reinforcements are Al2O3, SiC, B4C, TiB2, CNT, and GNPs for the production of Mg matrix composites. Researchers have been trying to reduce the cost of Mg matrix composites in recent years by using cheaper and environmentally friendly reinforcements. These reinforcements are solid wastes such as eggshell, fly ash, red mud, and waste glass, and their use in composite systems is becoming more common day by day. This review focuses on the Mg matrix composites reinforced with solid waste particles and the changes in wear, mechanical, corrosion, and thermal properties with the addition of these reinforcements.

Effects of Processing Technologies on Mechanical Properties of SiC Particulate Reinforced Magnesium Matrix Composites

Mg matrix composites with SiC particles ranging from 5vol%-25vol% were prepared using stirring casting method. Die casting, squeezing casting, and extrusion were applied for inhibiting or eliminating the defects such as gas porosity and shrinkage void. Through die casting and squeezing casting, most of the defects in Mg matrix composites could be eliminated, but the mechanical properties were improved limitedly. On the other hand, after hot extrusion, not only most of the defects of as-cast composites ingots were eliminated, but also the mechanical properties were improved markedly. With the addition of SiC, the tensile strength, yield strength and elastic modulus of as extrusion SiCp/AZ61 composites increased remarkably, and the elongation decreased obviously.

Development and strengthening mechanisms of a hybrid CNTs@SiCp/Mg-6Zn composite fabricated by a novel method

The hybrid addition of CNTs was used to improve both the strengths and ductility of SiCp reinforced Mg matrix composites.A novel method was developed to simultaneously disperse SiCp and CNTs in Mg melt.Firstly,new CNTs@SiCp hybrid reinforcements were synthesized by CVD.Thus,CNTs were well pre-dispersed on the SiCp surfaces before they were added to Mg melt.Therefore,the following semisolid stirring and ultrasonic vibration dispersed the new hybrid reinforcements well in Mg-6Zn melt.The hybrid composite exhibits some unique features in microstructures.Although the distribution of SiCp was very uniform in the Mg-6Zn matrix,most CNTs distributed along the strips in the state of micro-clusters,in which CNTs were bonded very well with Mg matrix.Most of the CNTs kept their structure integrity during fabrication process.All these factors ensure that the hybrid composite have much higher strength and elongation than the mono SiC/Mg-6Zn composites.The dominant strengthening mechanism is the load transfer effect of CNTs.Apart from grain refinement,the CNTs toughen the composites by impeding the microcrack propagation inside the material.Thus,the hybrid CNTs@SiCp successfully realizes the reinforcing advantage of“1+1>2”.

Tailoring the Microstructure and Mechanical Property of Mg-Zn Matrix Composite via the Addition of Al Element

The semi-solid stir casting method is adopted to prepare 10 wt%SiC_(p)/Mg-6Zn-0.5Ca-xAl(x=0,1,3 and 5 wt%)composites,and the microstructure evolution and mechanical property of composites with various Al content are investigated.The results show that the addition of 3 wt%Al improves the distribution of SiC_(p),whereas the SiC_(p) cluster occurs again with Al content greater than 3%.An abnormal phenomenon of twinning is observed in the cast composites in this work.The SiC_(p)/Mg-6Zn-0.5Ca composite possesses the highest twin content of~23%,for which tension twins(TTW)and compression twins(CTW)account for~19%and~3%,respectively.The CTW is only observed in ZXA600 composite.The addition of Al has an inhibiting effect for the generation and growth of twins.The content of twin decreases firstly and then increases with increase of Al content.The lowest twin content is obtained as Al increases to 3 wt%.It is found the existence of twin is detrimental to the mechanical property of composites.As-cast SiC_(p)/Mg-6Zn-0.5Ca-3Al composite with the lowest twin content exhibits the optimal mechanical property of yield strength,ultimate tensile strength and elongation for 100 MPa,188 MPa and 4.4%,respectively.The outstanding mechanical property is attributed to the uniform distribution of SiC_(p),the low twin content and the well-distributed fine second phases.

Improving the Young’s modulus of Mg via alloying and compositing–A short review

Lightweight,high-modulus structural materials are highly desired in many applications like aerospace,automobile and biomedical instruments.As the lightest metallic structural material,magnesium(Mg)has great potential but is limited by its low intrinsic Young’s modulus.This paper reviews the investigations on high-modulus Mg-based materials during the last decades.The nature of elastic modulus is introduced,and typical high-modulus Mg alloys and Mg matrix composites are reviewed.Specifically,Mg alloys enhance Young’s modulus of pure Mg mainly by introducing suitable alloying elements to promote the precipitation of high-modulus second phases in the alloy system.Differently,Mg matrix composites improve Young’s modulus by incorporating high-modulus particles,whiskers and fibers into the Mg matrix.The modulus strengthening effectiveness brought by the two approaches is compared,and Mg matrix composites stand out as a more promising solution.In addition,two well-accepted modulus prediction models(Halpin-Tsai and Rule of mixtures(ROM))for different Mg matrix composites are reviewed.The effects of reinforcement type,size,volume fraction and interfacial bonding condition on the modulus of Mg matrix composites are discussed.Finally,the existing challenges and development trends of high-modulus Mg-based materials are proposed and prospected.

Effect of SiC particle addition on microstructure of Mg_2Si/Al composite

In the present study, by adding SiC particles into AI-Si-Mg melt, Mg2Si and SiC particles hybrid reinforced AI matrix composites were fabricated through the Mg2Si in situ synthesis in melt combined with the SiC ex situ stir casting. The as-cast microstructure containing primary Mg2Si and SiC particles that distribute homogenously in AI matrix was successfully achieved. The effects of SiC particle addition on the microstructure of Mg2Si/AI composites were investigated by using scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and XRD. The results show that, with increasing the fraction of the SiC particles from 5wt.% to 10wt.%, the morphologies of the primary Mg2Si particulates in the prepared samples remain polygonal, but the size of the primary phase decreases slightly. However, when the SiC particle addition reaches 15wt.%, the morphologies of the primary Mg2Si particulates change partially from polygonal to quadrangular with a decrease in size from 50 pm to 30 μm. The size of primary AI dendrites decreases with increasing fraction of the SiC particles from 0wt.% to 15wt.%. The morphology of the eutectic Mg2Si phase changes from a fiber-form to a short fiber-form and/or a dot-like shape with increasing fraction of the SiC particles. Furthermore, no significant change in dendrite arm spacing （DAS） was observed in the presence of SiC particles.

Role of Al_(18)B_4O_(33) Whisker in MAO Process of Mg Matrix Composite and Protective Properties of the Oxidation Coating

Selective growth of oxidation coating was observed with Al18B4O33 crystal whisker as reinforced phase） on Mg matrix composite Al18B4O33w/AZ91 （a composite when this composite was treated by microarc oxidation （MAO） technique, and then the role of Al18B4O33 whisker in the process of MAO was analyzed. The protective properties of MAO coating also were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy （SEM） was used to characterize the existing state of Al18B4O33 whisker in MAO process and the microstructure of MAO coating. Corrosion resistance of the bare and coated composite was evaluated by immersion corrosion test and potentiodynamic polarizing test. Wear resistance of MAO coating was investigated by a ball-on-disc friction and wear tester. The results showed that sparking discharge did not occur on Al18B4O33 whisker and the whisker existed in the coating as a heterogeneous phase when MAO coating grew on the composite; then the whisker would be covered gradually with growing thick of the coating. Corrosion current density of the coated composite was decreased by 4 orders of magnitude compared with that of the uncoated composite; excellent corrosion resistance was closely related to the compact whisker-coating interface since Al18B4O33 whisker did not induce structural defects. The coating also exhibited high wear resistance and a slight adhesive wear tendency with bearing steel as its counterpart material.

Synergistic Effects of Carbon Nanotube(CNT)and Reduced Graphene Oxide(RGO)on Mechanical and Thermal Properties of ZK61 Alloy

The hybrid of carbon nanotube(CNT)and reduced graphene oxide(RGO)reinforced ZK61 composite was fabricated by a hot extrusion process.Compared with the raw ZK61 alloy and single-reinforced composites,the hybrid-reinforced by RGO+CNT complex exhibited significant enhancements both in mechanical and thermal performance.By adjusting the proportion of RGO and CNT in ZK61 alloy,the obtained optimum ZK61/(0.06 wt%RGO+0.54 wt%CNT)composite exhibited increase of 25.4%in yield strength,26.5%in ultimate tensile strength,104%in failure strain and 30.4%in thermal conductivity,respectively,in comparison with ZK61 alloy.The superior properties of the nano-hybrid composite are attributed to the synergetic effects of RGO and CNT,leading to a uniform dispersion and integrated structure as well as the enhanced interfacial bonding with matrix.The strengthening ability of RGO and CNT was calculated to quantify their individual contribution to the improvement in mechanical and thermal properties of the ZK61 matrix composite.The RGO+CNT hybrids provide a promising way to develop Mg matrix composites with impressive performances.