Characterization and evaluation of interface in SiC_p/2024 Al composite

35% SiCp/2024 Al（volume fraction） composite was prepared by powder metallurgy method. The microstructures of Si Cp/Al interfaces and precipitate phase/Al interfaces were characterized by HRTEM, and the interface conditions were evaluated by tensile modules of elasticity and Brinell hardness measurement. The results show that the overall Si Cp/Al interface condition in this experiment is good and three kinds of Si Cp/Al interfaces are present in the composites, which include vast majority of clean planer interfaces, few slight reaction interfaces and tiny amorphous interfaces. The combination mechanism of Si C and Al in the clean planer interface is the formation of a semi-coherent interface by closely matching of atoms and there are no fixed or preferential crystallographic orientation relationships between Si C and Al. MgAl2O4 spinel particles act as an intermediate to form semi-coherent interface with SiC and Al respectively at the slight reaction interfaces. When the composite is aged at 190 °C for 9 h after being solution-treated at 510 °C for 2 h, numerous discoid-shaped and needle-shaped nanosized precipitates dispersively exist in the composite and are semi-coherent of low mismatch with Al matrix. The Brinell hardness of composites arrives peak value at this time.

Microscopic impacts of ultrasonic vibration on interfacial strength of SiCp/Al composites

SiCp/Al composites are used in aerospace and deep-space exploration equipment because of their extremely high strength and thrust-to-weight ratios;however,the differences in the properties of the reinforcement and matrix materials in this type of composites have restricted their applications.The ultrahigh-frequency vibration characteristics of ultrasonic vibration processing technology can effectively solve the above bottlenecks,but the effect of high-frequency vibration on the interfacial properties of SiCp/Al composites is still unclear.The effects of ultrasonic vibration on the interface strength of composites were analyzed from a microscale perspective by means of single particle push-out Molecular Dynamics(MD)simulations and tests under different conditions.The results show that the interface strength is negatively correlated with particle size but positively correlated with ultrasonic amplitude,with a maximum increase of about 51%relative to no ultrasound.Brittle-plastic transition was observed on the surface of particles with high interface strength,and lateral microcracks due to stress concentration were present on the surface of particles with low interface strength.Higher strains and grain refinement were obtained for larger amplitudes,and stacking faults and tangle dislocations appeared on the side of the interface layer close to the Al matrix.The results provide potential insights to improve the micromechanical and mechanical properties of SiCp/Al composites,enhance the longevity of the materials,and realize the sustainable use of resources by expanding the efficient,precise,and clean machining of such materials.

Effect of aging treatment on mechanical properties of (SiCw+SiCp)/2024Al hybrid nanocomposites

2024Al based composites reinforced by a hybrid of SiC whisker and SiC nanoparticle were fabricated by a squeeze casting route. In the (SiCw+SiCp)/Al composites, the volume fraction of SiC whisker is 20% and that of SiC nanoparticle is 2%, 5% and 7%, respectively. The as cast composites were solution treated followed by aging treatment. The experimental results show that the SiC nanoparticles are more effective in improving the hardness and tensile strength of the composites than SiC whiskers. The hardening kinetics of the composites is enhanced by reinforcements addition and the peak aging time is 4-5 h. The hardness of all the hybrid composite decreases at the initial aging stage, suggesting that dislocation recovery softening process coexists with precipitation hardening. DSC study shows that the GP zone formation of the hybrid composites is suppressed.

STUDIES ON MICROYIELD BEHAVIOR OF A SiCp/2024Al COMPOSITE

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Effects of heat treatment on phase contents and mechanical properties of infiltrated B_4C/2024Al composites

The B4C/2024Al composites were successfully produced by pressureless infiltration method, and the effects of heat treatment on phase content and mechanical properties were investigated by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and mechanical properties testing. The results show that phases of BnC/2024Al composites include B4C, Al, Al3BC, AlB2 and Al2Cu. The phase species remain unchanged; however, the phase content of the composites changes significantly after heat treatment at the temperature of 660, 700, 800 or 900 ℃ for 12, 24 or 36 h. It is found that the heat treatment results in not only considerable enhancement in hardness, but also reduction in bending strength of the composites. Heat treatment at 800 ℃ for 36 h does best to hardness of the composites, while at 700 ℃ for 36 h it is the most beneficial to their comprehensive mechanical properties.

Microstructures and mechanical properties of 2024Al/Gr/SiC hybrid composites fabricated by vacuum hot pressing

The 2024Al/Gr/SiC hybrid composite plates with 5%-10% SiC particles （volume fraction） and 3%-6% flaky graphite （Gr） （volume fraction） were fabricated by vacuum hot pressing and hot extrusion processing. The effects of SiC and Gr on the microstructures and mechanical properties of the composites aged at 160, 175 and 190℃ were studied by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, and hardness and tensile tests. The results indicate that the SiC particles have a more obvious effect on accelerating the aging response as compared with the Gr. Both the tensile strength and elongation are reduced by the Gr and SiC particles added into the matrix, while the Gr has a more negative influence on the elongation than the SiC particles. The tensile strength （ab）, yield stress （as） and elongation （δ） of the 2024Al/3Gr/10SiC composite aged at 165℃ for 8 h are 387 MPa, 280.3 MPa and 5.7%, respectively. The hybrid composites are characterized by ductile fracture, which is associated with the ductile fracture of the matrix and the tearing of the interface between the matrix and the particles.

Particle Removal Mechanism of High Volume Fraction SiCp/Al Composites by Single Diamond Grit Tool

Particle removal mechanism was presented during machining particle SiC/Al composites with diamond grinding tool. The relevant removal modes and their mechanisms were discussed considering the impact and squeezing effect of diamond grit on the SiC particle. The experimental results show that the aluminum matrix has larger plastic deformation, so the aluminum mixed with the surplus SiC particles is cut from the surface. The SiC particles can be removed in multiple ways, such as broken/fractured, micro cracks, shearing and pulled out, etc. More particles removed by shearing, and less particles removed by fractured during material removal progress can produce a better machined surface.

Optimization of Machining Characteristics for Al/SiCp Composites using ANN/GA

The present work is focused on optimization of machining characteristics of AI/SiCp composites. The machining characteristics such as specific energy, tool wear and surface roughness were studied. The parameters such as volume fraction of SiC, cutting speed and feed rate were considered. Artificial neural networks (ANN) was used to train and simulate the experimental data. Genetic algorithms (GA) was interfaced with ANN to optimize the machining conditions for the desired machining characteristics. Validation of optimized results was also performed by confirmation experiments.

Near-net shaped Al/SiCP composites via vacuum-pressure infiltration combined with gelcasting

To solve the problem of difficult machining, the near-net shaped Al/SiCP composites with high volume fraction of SiC particles were fabricated by vacuum-pressure infiltration. The SiCP preform with a complex shape was prepared by gelcasting. Pure Al, Al4Mg, and Al4Mg2Si were used as the matrices, respectively. The results indicate that the optimal parameters of SiCP suspension in gelcasting process are pH value of 10, TMAH content of 0.5 wt.%, and solid loading of 52 vol.%. The Al matrix alloyed with Mg contributes to improving the interfacial wettability of the matrix and SiC particles, which increases the relative density of the composite. The Al matrix alloyed with Si is beneficial to inhibiting the formation of the detrimental Al4C3 phases. The Al4Mg2Si/SiCP composite exhibits high relative density of 99.2%, good thermal conductivity of 150 W·m^-1·K^-1, low coefficient of thermal expansion of 10.1×10^-6 K^-1, and excellent bending strength of 489 MPa.

Processing and mechanical properties of 2024 aluminum matrix composites containing Tungsten and Tantalum prepared by PM

The 2024 Al composites containing W, Ta were fabricated by powder metallurgy for their potential use as shielding material. W, Ta powders and gas-atomized 2024 Al aluminum powders were mixed by a ball mixer. The mixtures were consolidated by cold isostatic pressing (CIP) and then hot-extruded into full-density bars. The extruded bars were heat treated in T6 conditions. The microstructure and its relationship with the mechanical properties were investigated by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results show that the particles of nonuniform size and irregular shape randomly disperse in the 2024 aluminum alloy matrix. The tensile tests show that an increase of tensile strength and decrease of elongation to failure of the heat treated composites compared with the extruded composites.

Diffusion Bonding of Silicon Carbide Particulate Reinforced 2024 Al Composites

A study has been made on diffusion bonding of SiCp/2024Ai composites by means of pure Al interlayer. In the condition of TB=843 K, PB=16 MPa, tB= 60 min, the diffusion bonded joint, with a shear strength of 235 MPa, was obtained when a 15 μm thick interlayer was used. The results of the shear testing and SEM indicate that fracture of the joint presented characteristics of ductile rupture.

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 a Slight Interfacial Reaction on Mechanical Properties of SiCp/Al Composites

A slight interfacial reaction in squeeze-cast SiCp/6061AI composites has been studied. It is found that this kind of reaction has a particular effect on the mechanical properties of the composites. The results of fie-cure tests show that this reaction in the composites obviously increases the elastic properties, but is not beneficial to the fracture strength and ductility.This phenomenon can be interpreted in terms of two different micromechanisms which have been analyzed using TEM and HREM observations, acoustic emission (AE) technique and SEM fractography. In addition, a new method of SiC surface modification which can control the interface state is initially presented.

Corrosion Behavior and Protection Efficiency of 2024Al and SiC_p/2024Al Metal Matrix Composite

The corrosion resistance of 2024 Al and SiC particle reinforced 2024 Al metal matrix composite (SiCp?024AI MMC) in 3.5% NaCl solution was investigated with electrochemical method and immersion test, and the corrosion protection of sulfuric acid anodized coatings on both materials was evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The results showed that the SiCp?024AI MMC is more susceptible to corrosion than its matrix alloy in 3.5% NaCI. For 2024AI, the anodized coating provides excellent corrosion resistance to 3.5% NaCI. The anodized coating on the SiCp?024AI provides satisfactory corrosion protection, but it is not as effective as that for 2024AI because the structure of the anodized layer is affected by the SiC particulates.

Corrosion Behavior of SiC_p/2024 Al Matrix Composites in 3.5 wt pct Sodium Chloride

The influences of volume fraction and particle size of SiC particulate reinforcements on the corrosion characteristics of SiCp/2024 Al metal matrix composites in aerated 3.5 wt pct NaCI aqueous solution were investigated. The electrochemical behavior was investigated by potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, the general corrosion behavior of the composites was studied further by immersion tests. The results showed that pitting susceptibility was about the same for the composites and the alloy. The corrosion potentials were also independent of SiC phase. The corrosion resistance for the composites decreased as the volume fraction increased or particle size decreased.

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 High-Energy Ball Milling of CNTs/Al2024 Composites Through Response Surface Methodology

The mathematical models are developed to evaluate the ultimate tensile strength( UTS) and hardness of CNTs / Al2024 composites fabricated by high-energy ball milling. The effects of the preparation variables which are milling time,rotational speed,mass fraction of CNTs and ball to powder ratio on UST and hardness of CNTs / Al2024 composites are investigated. Based on the central composite design( CCD),a quadratic model is developed to correlate the fabrication variables to the UST and hardness. From the analysis of variance( ANOVA),the most influential factor on each experimental design response is identified. The optimum conditions for preparing CNTs / Al2024 composites are found as follows: 1. 53 h milling time,900 r / min rotational speed,mass fraction of CNTs 2. 87% and Ball to powder ratio 25 ∶ 1. The predicted maximum UST and hardness are 273.30 MPa and 261.36 HV,respectively. And the experimental values are 283.25 MPa and256.8 HV,respectively. It is indicated that the predicted UST and hardness after process optimization are found to agree satisfactory with the experimental values.

Microstructural characterization and mechanical properties of functionally graded Al2024/SiC composites prepared by powder metallurgy techniques

Al2024/SiC functionally graded materials (FGMs) with different numbers of graded layers and different amounts of SiC were fabricated successfully by powder metallurgy method and hot pressing process. The effects of increasing SiC content and number of layers of Al2024/SiC FGMs on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the composite were investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analyses indicated that Al and SiC were dominant components as well as others such as Al4C3, CuAl2, and CuMgAl2

Experimental Study of Machinability in Millgrinding of SiCp/Al Composites

An attempt was made to investigate the machinability of Si Cp/Al composites based on the experimental study using mill-grinding processing method. The experiments were carried out on a high-speed CNC machining center using integrated abrasive cutting tool. The effects of combined machining parameters, e g, cutting speed（vs）, feed rate（vf）, and depth of cut（ap）, with the same change of material removal rate（MRR） on the mill-grinding force and surface roughness（Ra） were investigated. The formation mechanism of typical machined surface defects was analyzed by SEM. The experimental results reveal that with the same change of material removal rate, lower mill-grinding force values can be gained by increasing depth of cut and feed rate simultaneously at higher cutting speed. With the same change of MRR value, lower surface roughness values can be gained by increasing the feed rate at higher cutting speed, rather than just increasing the depth of cut, or increasing the feed rate and depth of cut simultaneously. The machined surface of Si Cp/Al composites reveals typical defects which can influence surface integrity.

EFFECT OF OXIDATION OF SiC ON AGING CHARACTERISTICS OF SiC PARTICLES AND SHORT MULLITE FIBERS REINFORCED 2024Al COMPOSITE

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