Microstructural characterization,tribological and corrosion behavior of AA7075-TiC composites

Aluminum alloys are the potential materials in the automobile and aerospace sectors due to their lower density,easy forming and excellent corrosion resistance.The demand of high strength-to-weight ratio materials in structural applications needs the engineering industries to seek aluminum alloy with new versions of hard and brittle ceramic particles.The microstructure,hardness,wear and corrosion behaviors of AA7075 composites with 2.5wt.%and 5wt.%TiC particles were studied.Microscopic analysis is evident that the transformation of the strong dendritic morphology to non-dendritic morphology on the incorporation of TiC into AA7075.Furthermore,the precipitation of the second-phase compounds such as Al_(2)CuMg,Al_(2)Cu andFe-rich Al_6(Cu,Fe)/Al_(7)Cu_(2)Fe)is promoted by TiC particles at inter-and intra-dendritic regions.Accordingly,the hardness of composites is improved by grain boundary strengthening and particulate strengthening mechanisms.Both coefficient of friction and wear rate have an inverse relation with TiC concentration.The base alloy without TiC shows adhesive-type wear-induced deformation due to the formation of an oxide film,while composite samples exhibit a mechanically mixed layer and abrasive-type wear behavior.Composite samples shows a higher corrosion rate due to the presence of numerous precipitates which promote pitting corrosion.

Revealing the Role of Defect in 3D Graphene-Based Photocatalytic Composite for Efficient Elimination of Antibiotic and Heavy Metal Combined Pollution

Defect engineering can give birth to novel properties for adsorption and photocatalysis in the control of antibiotics and heavy metal combined pollution with photocatalytic composites.However,the role of defects and the process mechanism are complicated and indefinable.Herein,TiO_(2)/CN/3DC was fabricated and defects were introduced into the tripartite structure with separate O_(2)plasma treatment for the single component.We find that defect engineering can improve the photocatalytic activity,attributing to the increase of the contribution from h^(+)and OH.In contrast to TiO_(2)/CN/3DC with a photocatalytic tetracycline removal rate of 75.2%,the removal rate of TC with D-TiO_(2)/CN/3DC has increased to 88.5%.Moreover,the reactive sites of tetracycline can be increased by adsorbing on the defective composites.The defect construction on TiO_(2)shows the advantages in tetracycline degradation and Cu^(2+)adsorption,but also suffers significant inhibition for the tetracycline degradation in a tetracycline/Cu^(2+)combined system.In contrast,the defect construction on graphene can achieve the cooperative removal of tetracycline and Cu^(2+).These findings can provide new insights into water treatment strategies with defect engineering.

Evolution of microstructure and mechanical properties in multi-layer 316L-TiC composite fabricated by selective laser melting additive manufacturing

In this study,the microstructure and mechanical properties of a multi-layered 316L-TiC composite material produced by selective laser melting(SLM)additive manufacturing process are investigated.Three different layers,consisting of 316L stainless steel,316L-5 wt%TiC and 316L-10 wt%TiC,were additively manufactured.The microstructure of these layers was characterized by optical microscopy(OM)and scanning electron microscopy(SEM).X-ray diffraction(XRD)was used for phase analysis,and the mechanical properties were evaluated by tensile and nanoindentation tests.The microstructural observations show epitaxial grain growth within the composite layers,with the elongated grains growing predominantly in the build direction.XRD analysis confirms the successful incorporation of the TiC particles into the 316L matrix,with no unwanted phases present.Nanoindentation results indicate a significant increase in the hardness and modulus of elasticity of the composite layers compared to pure 316L stainless steel,suggesting improved mechanical properties.Tensile tests show remarkable strength values for the 316L-TiC composite samples,which can be attributed to the embedded TiC particles.These results highlight the potential of SLM in the production of multi-layer metal-ceramic composites for applications that require high strength and ductility of metallic components in addition to the exceptional hardness of the ceramic particles.

Recent Advances in Interface Modification of Cu/graphite Composites and Layered Ternary Carbides of Modified Layer Candidate

We review the fundamental properties and significant issues related to Cu/graphite composites.In particular,recent research on the interfacial modification of Cu/graphite composites is addressed,including the metal-modified layer,carbide-modified layer,and combined modified layer.Additionally,we propose the use of ternary layered carbide as an interface modification layer for Cu/graphite composites.

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.

微量Sm元素对TiC_(p)/Al-Cu-Mg-Mn复合材料微观组织和力学性能的影响

以0.27%(体积分数)TiC颗粒增强的TiC_(p)/Al-5Cu-1.9Mg-0.9Mn复合材料为基体,研究不同Sm元素含量对复合材料组织与力学性能的影响规律。结果表明:Sm元素的加入明显细化了枝晶组织,促进了固溶处理过程中第二相的溶解,使得时效态组织中T-Al_(2)0Cu_(2)Mn_(3)和S′-Al_(2)CuMg析出相的数量密度增加,当Sm元素含量较高时(0.3%,质量分数,下同),组织中将出现块状难溶稀土化合物。随着Sm的加入,复合材料室温和250℃下的屈服强度逐渐增加,但会引起塑性降低,当Sm元素添加量为0.3%时,室温屈服强度从246 MPa提高到310 MPa,250℃屈服强度从191 MPa提高到220 MPa。分析认为,强度提高源于Sm引起的组织细化和析出相数量密度增加,而塑性下降是由于粗大块状难溶稀土化合物割裂了基体,导致裂纹源容易产生。

Investigation on the Novel High-performance Copper/Graphene Composite Conductor for High Power Density Motor

High-performance Cu/Graphene composite wire synergistically strengthened by nano Cr_(3)C_(2) phase was directly synthesized via hot press sintering followed by severe cold plastic deformation, using liquid paraffin and CuCr alloy powder as the raw materials. Since graphene is in situ formed under the catalysis of copper powder during the sintering process, the problem that graphene is easy to agglomerate and difficult to disperse uniformly in the copper matrix has been solved. The nano Cr_(3)C_(2)-particles nailed at the interface favor to improve the interface bonding. The Cu/Graphene composite possesses high electrical conductivity, hardness, and plasticity. The composite wire exhibits high electrical conductivity of 96.93% IACS, great tensile strength of 488MPa, and excellent resistance to softening. Even after annealing at 400℃ for 1 h, the tensile strength can still reach 268 MPa with a conductivity of about 99.14% IACS.The wire's temperature coefficient of resistance(TCR) is largely reduced to 0.0035/℃ due to the complex structure,which leads the wire to present low resistivity at higher temperatures. Such Cu/Graphene composite wire with excellent comprehensive performance has a good application prospect in high-power density motors.

Hydrogen production performance of the non⁃platinum⁃based MoS_(2)/CuS cathode in microbial electrolytic cells

MoS_(2)/CuS composite catalysts were successfully synthesized using a one-step hydrothermal method with sodium molybdate dihydrate,thiourea,oxalic acid,and copper nitrate trihydrate as raw materials.The hydrogen pro-duction performance of MoS_(2)/CuS prepared with different molar ratios of Mo to Cu precursors(n_(Mo)∶n_(Cu))as cathodic catalysts was investigated in the two-chamber microbial electrolytic cell(MEC).X-ray diffraction(XRD),X-ray pho-toelectron spectroscopy(XPS),scanning electron microscopy(SEM),transmission electron microscope(TEM),linear scanning voltammetry(LSV),electrochemical impedance analysis(EIS),and cyclic voltammetry(CV)were used to characterize the synthesized catalysts for testing and analyzing the hydrogen-producing performance.The results showed that the hydrogen evolution performance of MoS_(2)/CuS-20%(nMo∶nCu=5∶1)was better than that of platinum(Pt)mesh,and the hydrogen production rate of MoS_(2)/CuS-20%as a cathode in MEC was(0.2031±0.0237)m^(3)_(H_(2))·m^(-3)·d^(-1) for 72 h at an applied voltage of 0.8 V,which was slightly higher than that of Pt mesh of(0.1886±0.0134)m^(3)_(H_(2))·m^(-3)·d^(-1).The addition of a certain amount of CuS not only regulates the electron transfer ability of MoS_(2) but also increases the density of active sites.

Comparative Assessment on Microstructure and Properties of in-situ TiC+Ti_(5)Si_(3)Reinforced TiAl-Sn-Zr Matrix Composites by Spark Plasma Sintering and Argon Protected Sintering

The effects of SiC particles(SiCp)on high temperature oxidation behavior of titanium matrix composites(TMCs)under different powder metallurgy processes were investigated.In situ Ti C+Ti_(5)Si_(3)reinforced titanium matrix composites were prepared by discharge plasma sintering(SPS)and argon protective sintering(APS).The results show that the two processes have a negligible effect on the composition and hardness of the samples,but the hardness of the two samples is significantly improved by adding SiCp.The apparent porosity of SPS process is obviously smaller than that of APS process,whereas,the apparent porosity increases slightly with the addition of SiCp.The oxide layer thickness and mass gain of the samples obtained by SPS process are smaller than those obtained by APS process.The oxide thickness and mass gain of both processes are further reduced by adding SiCp.The SPS composites showed the best high temperature oxidation resistance.Therefore,TMCs with Si Cp by SPS can effectively improve the high-temperature oxidation behavior of the materials.

Self-propagating High-temperature Synthesis, Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of TiC-TiB_2-Cu Composites

TiC-TiB2-Cu composites were produced by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis combined with pseudo hot isostatic pressing using Ti, B4C and Cu powders. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the composites were investigated. The X-ray diffraction （XRD） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM） results showed that the final products were only TiC, TiB2 and Cu phases. The clubbed TiB2 grains and spheroidal or irregular TiC grains were found in the microstructure of synthesized products. The reaction temperature and grain size of TiB2 and TiC particles decreased with increasing Cu content. The introduction of Cu into the composites resulted in a drastic increase in the relative density and flexual strength, and the maximum values were obtained with the addition of 20 wt pct, while the fracture toughness was the best when Cu content was 40 wt pct.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of SiC-particle-strengthening tri-metal Al/Cu/Ni composite produced by accumulative roll bonding process

In this study, a multilayer Al/Ni/Cu composite reinforced with Si C particles was produced using an accumulative roll bonding(ARB) process with different cycles. The microstructure and mechanical properties of this composite were investigated using optical and scanning microscopy and hardness and tensile testing. The results show that by increasing the applied strain, the Al/Ni/Cu multilayer composite converted from layer features to near a particle-strengthening characteristic. After the fifth ARB cycle, a composite with a uniform distribution of reinforcements(Cu, Ni, and SiC) was fabricated. The tensile strength of the composite increased from the initial sandwich structure to the first ARB cycle and then decreased from the first to the third ARB cycle. Upon reaching five ARB cycles, the tensile strength of the composite increased again. The variation in the elongation of the composite exhibited a tendency similar to that of its tensile strength. It is observed that with increasing strain, the microhardness values of the Al, Cu, and Ni layers increased, and that the dominant fracture mechanisms of Al and Cu were dimple formation and ductile fracture. In contrast, brittle fracture in specific plains was the main characteristic of Ni fractures.

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.

Low-temperature heat conduction characteristics of diamond/Cu composite by pressure infiltration method

In this paper,diamond/CuCr and diamond/CuB composites were prepared using the pressure infiltration method.The physical property measurement system(PPMS)was adopted to evaluate the thermal conductivity of diamond/Cu and MoCu composites within the range of100–350 K,and a scanning electron microscope(SEM)was utilized to analyze the microstructure and fracture appearance of the materials.The research indicates that the thermal conductivity of diamond/Cu composite within the range of100–350 K is 2.5–3.0 times that of the existing MoCu material,and the low-temperature thermal conductivity of diamond/Cu composite presents an exponential relationship with the temperature.If B element was added to a Cu matrix and a low-temperature binder was used for prefabricated elements,favorable interfacial adhesion,relatively high interfacial thermal conductivity,and favorable low-temperature heat conduction characteristics would be apparent.

Influence of additives and concentration of WC nanoparticles on properties of WC−Cu composite prepared by electroplating

The effects of additives(polyethylene glycol(PEG),sodium dodecyl sulfate(SDS))and WC nano-powder on the microstructure,relative density,hardness and electrical conductivity of electroplated WC−Cu composite were investigated.The preparation mechanism was also studied.The microstructure of samples was analyzed by XRD,SEM,EDS,TEM and HRTEM.The synergistic effect of PEG and SDS made the WC−Cu composite more compact during the electroplating process.The hardness of WC−Cu composites increased with the increase in WC content,while the electrical conductivity decreased with the increase in WC content.The density of samples tended to increase initially and then decreased with increase in the additive content.When the electroplating solution contained 10 g/L WC nanopowder,0.2 g/L PEG and 0.1 g/L SDS,the WC−Cu composite exhibited hardness of HV 221 and electric conductivity of 53.7 MS/m.Therefore,the results suggest that WC−Cu composite with excellent properties can be obtained by optimizing the content of additives and WC particles.

Effect of Silver Element on Microstructure and Properties of W-30Cu/TiC Composites

W-30 wt%Cu and TiC-50 wt%Ag were successfully synthesized by a novel simplified pretreatment followed by electroless plating. The 0 wt% TiC, 0.5 wt% TiC, and 0.5 wt%TiC-0.5 wt%Ag composite powders were added to W-30 wt%Cu composite powders by blending, and then reduced. The reduced W-30 Cu, W-30 Cu/0.5 TiC, and W-30 Cu-0.5 Ag/0.5 TiC composite powders were then compacted and sintered at 1 300 ℃ in protective hydrogen for 60 min. The phase and morphology of the composite powders and materials were analyzed using X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The relative density, electrical conductivity, and hardness of the sintered samples were examined. Results showed that W-30 Cu and TiC-Ag composite powders with uniform structure were obtained using simplified pretreatment followed by electroless plating. The addition of TiC particles can significantly increase the compressive strength and hardness of the W-30 Cu composite material but decrease the electrical conductivity. Next, 0.5 wt% Ag was added to prepare W-30 Cu-0.5 Ag/TiC composites with excellent electrical conductivity. The electrical conductivity of these composites(61.2%) is higher than that in the national standard(the imaginary line denotes electrical conductivity of GB IACS 42%) of 45.7%.

Microstructure and property of sub-micro WC-10 %Co particulate reinforced Cu matrix composites prepared by selective laser sintering

The WC-10%Co particulate reinforced Cu matrix composite material with a WC-Co∶Cu mass ratio of 20∶80 was successfully fabricated by selective laser sintering(SLS) process. The following optimal processing parameters were used: laser power of 700 W, scan speed of 0.06 m/s, scan line spacing of 0.15 mm, and powder layer thickness of 0.3 mm. The microstructure, composition, and phase of the laser processed material were investigated by scanning electron microscopy(SEM), X-ray diffraction(XRD), and energy dispersive X-ray(EDX) spectroscopy. The results show that the bonding mechanism of this process is liquid phase sintering. The Cu and Co act as the binder phase, while the WC acts as the reinforcing phase. The non-equilibrium effects induced by laser melting, such as high degrees of undercooling and high solidification rate, result in the formation of a metastable phase CoC0.25. The WC reinforcing particulates typically have three kinds of morphology. They are agglomerated and undissolved, incompletely separated and partially dissolved, separated and dissolved, which indicates that particle rearrangement acts as the dominant sintering mechanism for the larger WC, while dissolution-precipitation prevails for the smaller WC particles. Microhardness tester was used to determine the Vickers hardness across the cross-section of the laser sintered sample, with the average value being HV0.1268.5. However, the hardness varied considerably, which might be attributed to the WC segregation and the high solidification rate experienced by the molten pool.

Microstructure,phase transformation and mechanical properties of NiMnGa particles/Cu composites fabricated by SPS

Microstructure,phase transformation and mechanical properties of NiMnGa particles/Cu composites prepared by spark plasma sintering method were investigated by SEM,EDS,XRD,susceptibility measurements and mechanical tests.The NiMnGa particles were found to react with Cu matrix and the composites exhibited a similar crystal structure to the Cu matrix.The martensitic transformation and Curie transition of the composites were weakened due to the composition change of NiMnGa particles caused by reactions.With increasing NiMnGa particles content,the martensitic transformation and Curie transition of the composites were enhanced to some extent.However,the martensitic transformation temperature and Curie transition temperature were decreased by~50 K as compared to those of the original NiMnGa particles.The compressive strength of the composites increased with the increase of NiMnGa particles content,whereas the compressive strain was decreased gradually.

Thermal explosion synthesis of aluminum matrix composites reinforced with TiC-TiB_2 ceramic particulates

In situ TiC-TiB2 diphase ceramic reinforced aluminum metal matrix composites were successfully fabricated via thermal explosion(TE) reaction in the Al-Ti-B4C system. Using DTA and XRD analyses,the combustion reaction characteristic was examined. The results show that Al serves not only as a diluent but also as a reaction participant,affecting the reaction process and its final products. Combining with the DTA and the TE temperature-time curves,the ignition temperature is estimated to be about 970 K. With increasing Al content,the adiabatic combustion temperature is lowered and the sizes of the TiC and TiB2 particulates decrease. When the Al content in the reactants is more than 50%,Al3Ti intermediate phase is detected in the synthesized products. SEM observations reveal that the nearly spherical TiC particles and hexagonal or rectangular TiB2 particles distribute relatively uniformly in the Al matrix.

Microstructures and Mechanical Properties of TiC_P/Al-4.5Cu-0.8Mg Composites by Direct Reaction Synthesis

Direct reaction synthesis (DRS), based on the principle of self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS), is a new method for preparing participate metal matrix composites. TiCP/AI-4.5Cu-0.8Mg composites were fabricated by DRS. Participate composites were fabricated with Ti carbide (TiC) particles, generally less than 1.0μm. The reacted, thermal extruded samples exhibit a homogeneous distribution of fine TiC particles in AI-4.5Cu-0.8Mg matrix. Mechanical property evaluation of the composites has revealed a very high tensile strength relative to the matrix alloy. Fractographic analysis indicates ductile failure.

Effect of Cu-Ti-C Reaction Composition on Reinforcing Particles Size of TiC_x/Cu Composites

TiCx/Cu composites were fabricated by combustion synthesis and hot press technology. Using XRD, SEM, EDS, FESEM analysis methods, the effects of various carbon sources and different Cu contents on the microstructures of TiCx/Cu composites and the size of TiCx particles were investigated. Results showed that TiCx reinforcing particles size increases with decreasing Cu content in Cu-Ti-C reaction system. With carbon nanotubes（carbon black） serving as carbon source, the generated TiCx particles size transits from nanometer to submicron when Cu content corresponding to the reaction system is reduced to 60 vol%（70 vol%）; while graphite serves as carbon source, there is no clear limiting concentration. C particles with smaller size, larger specific surface area and better distribution result in finer TiCx particles, which is more beneficial to generating nano-sized TiCx/Cu composites.