Investigation on Material Response of 55% SiCp/Al Composites Induced by Pulsed Laser

Silicon carbide particle reinforced aluminum matrix composites(SiCp/Al composites)are widely used in aviation,aerospace and electronic package.However,low machining efficiency,severe tool wear and poor surface quality are severe during the machining of SiCp/Al composites.Laser-induced oxidation is capable to improve the machinability of SiCp/Al composites.The material response of 55%(volume fraction)SiCp/Al composites induced by a nanosecond pulsed laser is studied.A metamorphic layer which is composed of an oxide layer and sub-layer is produced.The effects of reaction surrounding and laser average power on the microstructure and thickness of the oxide layer and sub-layer are investigated.Experimental results show that:A thicker oxide layer and a sub-layer are formed in an oxygen-rich atmosphere.The oxides are mainly composed of 2Al2O3·SiO2(mullite).A positive correlation between the laser average power and thicknesses of oxide layers and sub-layers is found.A loose oxide layer of 138μm and a sub-layer of 21μm are formed at the laser average power of 6 W,laser scanning pitch of 10μm,and laser scanning speed of 1 mm/s under an oxygen-rich atmosphere.The high efficient machining of Si Cp/Al composites can be realized by laser-induced oxidation.

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.

Oxidation mechanism of high-volume fraction SiCp/Al composite under laser irradiation and subsequent machining

Conventional mechanical machining of a composite material comprising an aluminum matrix reinforced with a high volume fraction of SiC particles(hereinafter referred to as an SiCp/Al composite)faces problems such as rapid tool wear,high specific cutting force,and poor surface integrity.Instead,a promising method for solving these problems is laser-induced oxidation-assisted milling(LOAM):under laser irradiation,the local workpiece material reacts with oxygen,thus forming loose and porous oxides that are easily removed.In the present work,the oxidation mechanism of SiCp/Al irradiated by a nanosecond pulsed laser is studied to better understand the laser-induced oxidation behavior and control the characteristics of the oxides,with laser irradiation experiments performed on a 65%SiCp/Al composite with various laser parameters and auxiliary gases(oxygen,nitrogen,and argon).With increasing laser pulse energy density,both the ablated groove depth and the width of the heat-affected zone increase.When oxygen is used as the auxiliary gas,an oxide layer composed of SiO_(2)and Al2O3 forms,and CO_(2)is produced and escapes from the material,thereby forming pores in the oxides.However,when nitrogen or argon is used as the auxiliary gas,a recast layer is produced that is relatively difficult to remove.Under laser irradiation,the sputtered material reacts with oxygen to form oxides on both sides of the ablated groove,and as the laser scanning path advances,the produced oxides accumulate to form an oxide layer.LOAM and conventional milling are compared using the same milling parameters,and LOAM is found to be better for reduced milling force and tool wear and improved machined surface quality.

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.

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.

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.

Spark Effect on the Densification of SiCp/Al Composites by SPS

SiCp/ Al composites containing high volume fraction of SiC particles were fabricated by spark plasma sintering （SPS）. and their thermophysical properties, such as thermal conductivity （TC） and co.lent of thermal expansion （CTE）, were characterized. The electric field in the vacuum column was calculated and the generation condition of the spark was analyzed. Spark can be generated by a low current if the cavity in the green body is large enough. A high relative density of the composites was successfully achieved through the optimization of sintering parameters. The measured TCs of the SiCp/ Al composites fabricated by SPS are higher than 195 W/m ·K.

Reactive Diffusion Bonding of SiCp/Al Composites by Insert Powder Layers with Eutectic Composition

Mixed Al-Si and Al-Cu powders were investigated as insert layers to reactive diffusion bond SiCp/6063 metal matrix composite （MMC）. The results show that SiCp/6063 MMC joints bonded by the insert layers of the mixed Al-Si and Al-Cu powders have a dense joining layer of high quality. The mass transfer between the bonded materials and insert layers during bonding leads to the hypoeutectic microstructure of the joining layers bonded by both the mixed Al-Si and Al-Cu powders with eutectic composition. At fixed bonding time （temperature）, the shear strength of the joints by both insert layers of the mixed Al-Si and Al-Cu powders increases with increasing the bonding temperature （time）, but get maxima at bonding temperature 600℃ （time 90 min）.

Reactive diffusion bonding of SiCp/Al composites by insert layers of mixed Al-Si and Al-Si-SiC powders

Mixed Al-Si and Al-Si-SiC powders were employed as insert layers to reactive diffusion bond SiCp/6063 MMC （metal matrix composites）. The results show that SiCp/6063 MMC joints bonded by the insert layer of the mixed Al-Si powder have a dense joining layer with a typical hypoeutectic microstructtn＇e. Using the mixed Al-Si-SiC powder as the insert layer, SiCp/6063 MMC can be reactive diffusion bonded by a composite joint. Because of the SiC segregation, however, there are a number of porous zones in the joining layer, which results in the bad shear strength of the joints reactive diffusion bonded by the insert layer of the mixed A1-Si- SiC powder, even lower than that of the joints reactive diffusion bonded by the insert layer of the mixed Al-Si powder. Ti and Mg added in the insert layers obviously improve the strength of the joints reactive diffusion bonded by the insert layer of the mixed Al- Si-SiC powder, especially, Mg has a more obvious effect.

Pressureless infiltration processing and thermal properties of SiCp/Al composites with high SiC particle content

SiCp/1060Al, SiCp/ZL101,SiCp/ZL102 composites with SiCp volume fraction of 55% were fabricated by pressureless infiltration. The microstructure was examined and thermal properties were characterized for SiCp/Al composites. The results show that the composites are dense and macroscopically homogeneous. With the increase of temperature, the mean linear coefficient of thermal expansion(CTE) at 25-200℃of the composites increases and ranges from 7.23×10-6 to 10.4×10-6K-1, but thermal conductivity declines gradually at the same time. With the increase of Si content in the Al matrix, CTE of the composites declines and thermal conductivity also declines but not linearly, when Si content is up to 7%, the average thermal conductivity is 140.4 W/(m·K), which is close to that of the SiCp/1060Al composite (144.6 W/(m·K)). While Si content is 11.7%, the average thermal conductivity declines markedly to 87.74 W/(m·K). The annealing treatment is better than the solution aging treatment in reducing CTE and improving thermal conductivity of the composites. Compared with conventional thermal management materials, SiCp/Al composites are potential candidate materials for advanced electronic packaging due to their tailorable thermo-physical properties.

Microstructure and Properties of SiCp/Al Composite Materials Fabricated via Powder Packed Resistance Additive Manufacturing

SiC particle(SiCp)/Al composite materials were fabricated via powder packed resistance seam welding additive manufacturing.The influence of welding speed on microstructure and mechanical properties of the specimen was investigated,elucidating the formation and fracture mechanism of single-pass multi-layer deposition.The results demonstrate that a dense internal structure of the specimen characterized by uniformly dispersed SiCp embedded within the Al matrix is formed.However,particle agglomeration and porosity defects are observed.The porosity increases with the increase in welding speed,and the microstructure of the RSAM-24 specimen has the highest density,characterized by a density of 2.706 g/cm^(3)and a porosity of 1.672%.The mechanical properties of the specimens decrease as the welding speed increases.Optimal mechanical properties are obtained when the welding speed is set as 24 cm/min.Specifically,the average hardness,tensile strength and elongation values are 463.736 MPa,52.16 MPa and 2.2%,respectively.The tensile specimens predominantly exhibit fracture along the interlayer bonding interface and the interface between the Al matrix and SiC particles,and the damage mode is ductile fracture.

Machining Characteristics in Cryogenic Grinding of SiCp/Al Composites

In this study, liquid nitrogen was applied to grind SiCp/Al composites with high volume fraction and large SiC particle at different levels of cutting conditions, and the effects of grinding depth and speed on grinding force, surface morphology, and surface roughness were investigated. At the same time, the effect of cryogenic cooling was also compared with that of conventional wet grinding. The experimental results indicated that cryogenic cooling is effective in enhancing supporting function of Al matrix to the SiC particles and improving surface quality. Additionally, the brittle fracture of SiC particles was suppressed and some ductile streaks on SiC particle could be observed.

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%.

Cutting path-dependent machinability of SiCp/Al composite under multi-step ultra-precision diamond cutting

Particle-tool interactions,which govern the synergetic deformation of SiC particle reinforced Al matrix composites under mechanical machining,strongly depend on the geometry of particle position residing on cutting path.In the present work,we investigate the influence of cutting path on the machinability of a SiCp/Al composite in multi-step ultra-precision diamond cutting by combining finite element simulations with experimental observations and characterization.Be consistent with experimentally characterized microstructures,the simulated SiCp/Al composite is considered to be composed of randomly distributed polygonally-shaped SiC particles with a volume fraction of 25 vol%.A multi-step cutting strategy with depths of cut ranging from 2 to 10 lm is adopted to achieve an ultimate depth of cut of 10 lm.Intrinsic material parameters and extrinsic cutting conditions utilized in finite element simulations of SiCp/Al cutting are consistent with those used in corresponding experiments.Simulation results reveal different particle-tool interactions and failure modes of SiC particles,as well as their correlations with machining force evolution,residual stress distribution and machined surface topography.A detailed comparison between numerical simulation results and experimental data of multi-step diamond cutting of SiCp/Al composite reveals a substantial impact of the number of cutting steps on particle-tool interactions and machined surface quality.These findings provide guidelines for achieving high surface finish of SiCp/Al composites by ultra-precision diamond cutting.

A review of friction stir joining of SiCp/Al composites

SiCp/Al composites have excellent comprehensive properties and have been widely used in aerospace,automotive industry and other fields.Due to the huge difference in performance between SiC particles and matrix alloys,traditional fusion welding methods are difficult to meet the join requirements of SiCp/Al composites.Friction stir joining(friction stir welding),as a solid phase joining process,has been proved to be a new technology with fine prospect in joining SiCp/Al composites compared with fusion welding process.Although some progress has been made in recent years,there are still full of challenges.In this paper,the research status of friction stir joining of SiCp/Al composites in recent years is expatiated,including the weldability of SiCp/Al composites,the macrostructure and the microstructure of joints,mechanical properties of joints,and tool wear and monitoring.Furthermore,the existing challenges of friction stir joining of SiCp/Al composites are summarized and the future development directions are prospected.

Effect of rare earth addition on structure and properties of Ni-P coating on SiCp/Al composites

The aim of this work was to improve the properties of Ni-P coating on SiCp/Al composites. The effect of rare earths addition on Ni-P coating structure was investigated by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and electrochemistry methods. The results showed that as Y or La concentration was 0.15 g/L in plating solution, the highest value of deposition rate of Ni-P coating was found. And the structure of the obtained coating was modified...

Variation characteristic of drilling force and influence of cutting parameter of SiCp/Al composite thin-walled workpiece

In this paper,the variation characteristic of the drilling force,and the influences of cutting speed,feed rate,and workpiece thickness on the drilling force,were eval・uated when drilling a silicon carbide particle reinforced aluminum matrix(SiCp/Al)composite thin-walled workpiece with a high volume fraction.Under the condition that the workpiece thickness was less than the drill tip height,three characteristic stages of drilling force variation were proposed.The results indicate that there is a sign币cant difference between the variations in the drilling force when drilling a thin-walled workpiece compared to thick-walled workpiece.When the chisel edge drills out the lower surface of the workpiece,there is an abrupt decrease in the thrust forces of the thin-walled and thick-walled workpieces.In addition,there is an abrupt decrease in the torque of the thick-walled workpiece,whereas that of the thinwalled workpiece increases.According to the thickness of the thin-walled workpiece,the instant of the abrupt decrease in the thrust force may lead or lag behind the theoretical instant at which the chisel edge reaches the lower surface of the workpiece without deformation.When drilling a thin-walled hole,the cutting speed has a slight influence on the thrust force,and there is a slight increase in the torque in accordance with an increase in the cutting speed.The thrust force and torque increase in accordance with an increase in the feed rate.When drilling a thinwalled workpiece with a thickness of 1 mm,the critical thickness of workpiece cracking decreases in accordance with an increase in the cutting speed,and increases in accordance with an increase in the feed rate.When drilling a thin-walled workpiece with a thickness of 0.5 mm,the concave deformation of the workpiece and the critical thickness of the workpiece cracking increase in accordance with an increase in the feed rate.However,the increment in the critical thickness of the workpiece cracking is less than that in the concave deformation of the workpiece.

Effect of Ni content on the wear behavior of Al-Si-Cu-Mg-Ni/SiC particles composites

In recent years,the addition of Ni has been widely acknowledged to be capable of enhancing the mechanical properties of Al-Si alloys.However,the effect of Ni on the wear behaviors of Al-Si alloys and Al matrix composites,particularly at elevated temperat-ures,remains an understudied area.In this study,Al-Si-Cu-Mg-Ni/20wt%SiC particles(SiCp)composites with varying Ni contents were prepared by using a semisolid stir casting method.The effect of Ni content on the dry sliding wear behavior of the prepared compos-ites was investigated through sliding tests at 25 and 350℃.Results indicated that theθ-Al_(2)Cu phase gradually diminished and eventually disappeared as the Ni content increased from 0wt%to 3wt%.This change was accompanied by the formation and increase inδ-Al_(3)CuNi andε-Al_(3)Ni phases in microstructures.The hardness and ultimate tensile strength of the as-cast composites improved,and the wear rates of the composites decreased from 5.29×10^(−4)to 1.94×10^(−4)mm^(3)/(N∙m)at 25℃and from 20.2×10^(−4)to 7×10^(−4)mm^(3)/(N∙m)at 350℃with the increase in Ni content from 0wt%to 2wt%.The enhancement in performance was due to the presence of strengthening network structures and additional Ni-containing phases in the composites.However,the wear rate of the 3Ni composite was approximately two times higher than that of the 2Ni composite due to the fracture and debonding of theε-Al_(3)Ni phase.Abrasive wear,delamination wear,and oxidation wear were the predominant wear mechanisms of the investigated composites at 25℃,whereas delamination wear and oxid-ation wear were dominant during sliding at 350℃.

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.

Microstructure Regulation and Combustion Performance Optimization of PVDF/Al Composite Powder by Non-covalent Functionalized Graphenes

Graphene prepared by non-covalent modification of sulfonated poly(ether-ether-ketone)(SPG)was combined with polyvinylidene fluoride(PVDF)/Al to improve the PVDF/Al thermal conductivity while reducing the effect of the thermal resistance at the graphene-polymer interface.The regulation rule of SPG with different contents on the energy release of fluorine-containing system was studied.When the content of SPG is 4%,the peak pressure and rise rate of SPG/PVDF/Al composite powder during ignition reach the maximum of 4845.28 kPa and 8683.58 kPa/s.When the content of SPG is 5%,the PVDF/Al composite powder is completely coated by SPG,and the calorific value of the material reachs the maximum of 29.094 kJ/g.Through the design and micro-control of the composite powder,the calorific value of the material can be effectively improved,but the improvement of the mass release rate still depends on the graphene content and surface modification state.