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.

Microstructure,interfacial reaction behavior,and mechanical properties of Ti_(3)AlC_(2)reinforced Al6061 composites

The interfacial reaction behavior of Al and Ti_(3)AlC_(2)at different pouring temperatures and its effect on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the composites were investigated.The results show that the addition of3.0 wt.%Ti_(3)AlC_(2)refines the average grain size ofα(Al)in the composite by 50.1%compared to Al6061 alloy.Morphological analyses indicate that an in-situ Al_(3Ti)transition layer of-180 nm in thickness is generated around the edge of Ti_(3)AlC_(2)at 720℃,forming a well-bonded Al-Al_(3Ti)interface.At this processing temperature,the ultimate tensile strength of A16061-3.0 wt.%Ti_(3)AlC_(2)composite is 199.2 MPa,an improvement of 41.5%over the Al6061 matrix.Mechanism analyses further elucidate that 720℃is favourable for forming the nano-sized transition layer at the Ti_(3)AlC_(2)edges.And,the thermal mismatch strengthening plays a dominant role in this state,with a strengthening contribution of about 74.8%.

Effect of CuO particle size on synthesis temperature and microstructure of Al_2O_(3p)-Al composites from Al-CuO system

Al2O3p-Al composites were synthesized using an in-situ reaction in the 80%Al-20%CuO （mass fraction） system. The effects of the CuO particle size on the synthesis temperature and microstructure of the composites were investigated by various methods. The results indicate that the CuO particle size has a significant effect on the temperature at which the complete reaction in the Al-CuO system occurs：the temperature is 200 ℃ lower in the Al-CuO system containing CuO particles with sizes less than 6μm than that containing CuO particles with sizes less than 100μm. The interfacial bonding between Al2O3 particles and Al is not complete when the temperature is below a critical value. The morphology of the Al2O3 particles varies from ribbon-like shape to near spherical shape when the temperature is above a critical value. These two critical temperatures are affected by the particle size of CuO, and the critical temperature of the sample containing CuO particles with sizes less than 6μm is 100 ℃ lower than that of the sample containing CuO particles with sizes less than 100μm.

Synthesis of Y_2O_3 particle enhanced Ni/TiC composite on TC4 Ti alloy by laser cladding

A Y2O3 particle enhanced Ni/TiC composite coating was fabricated in-situ on a TC4 Ti alloy by laser surface cladding. The phase component, microstructure, composition distribution and properties of the composite layer were investigated. The composite layer has graded microstructures and compositions, due to the fast melting followed by rapid solidification and cooling during laser cladding. The TiC powders are completely dissolved into the melted layer during melting and segregated as fine dendrites when solidified. The size of TiC dendrites decreases with increasing depth. Y2O3 fine particles distribute in the whole clad layer. The Y2O3 particle enhanced Ni/TiC composite layer has a quite uniform hardness along depth with a maximum value of HV1380, which is 4 times higher than the initial hardness. The wear resistance of the Ti alloy is significantly improved after laser cladding due to the high hardness of the composite coating.

Microstructure and evolution of(TiB_2+Al_2O_3)/NiAl composites prepared by self-propagation high-temperature synthesis

（TiB2＋Al2O3）/NiAl composites were synthesized by self-propagation high-temperature synthesis, and their phase compositions, microstructures and evolution modes were studied. The microstructures and shapes vary with the TiB2＋Al2O3 content in the NiAl matrix. TiB2 particles take a great variety of elementary shapes such as white bars, plates, herringbones, regular cubes and cuboids. These results outline a strategy of self-assembly processes in real time to build diversified microstructures. Some TiB2 grains in sizes of 2-5μm are embeded in Al2O3 clusters, while a small number of TiB2 particles disperse in the NiAl matrix. It is believed that the higher the TiB2＋Al2O3 content is, the more the regular shapes and homogeneous distributions of TiB2 and Al2O3 will be present in the NiAl matrix.

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.

Hot deformation and processing maps of Al_2O_3/Al composites fabricated by flake powder metallurgy

The deformation behaviors of Al2O3/Al composites were investigated by compressive tests conducted at temperature of 300-450 °C and strain rates of 0.001-1.0 s-1 with Gleeble-1500 D thermal simulator system. The results show that the flow stress increases with increasing strain rate and decreasing temperature. The hyperbolic sine constitutive equation can describe the flow stress behavior of Al2O3/Al composites, and the deformation activation energy and constitutive equations were calculated. The processing maps of Al2O3/Al-2 μm and Al2O3/Al-1 μm composites at strain of 0.6 were obtained and the optimum processing domains are in ranges of 300-330 °C, 0.007-0.03 s-1 and 335-360 °C, 0.015-0.06 s-1 for hot working, respectively. The instability zones of flow behavior can also be recognized by the maps.

Aluminum matrix composites reinforced by in situ Al_2O_3 and Al_3Zr particles fabricated via magnetochemistry reaction

Aluminum matrix composites reinforced by in situ Al2O3 and Al3Zr particles are fabricated from A356-Zr(CO3)2 system via magnetochemistry reaction,and the morphologies,sizes and distributions of the in situ particles as well as the microstructures,mechanical mechanisms of the composites are investigated by XRD,SEM,TEM and in situ tensile tests.The results indicate that with the pulsed magnetic field assistance,the morphologies of the in situ particles are mainly with ball-shape,the sizes are in nanometer scale and the distributions in the matrix are uniform.The interfaces between the in situ particles and the aluminum matrix are net and no interfacial outgrowth is observed.These are due to the strong vibration induced by the applied magnetic field in the aluminum melt,which in turn,accelerates the melt reactions.The effects of the magnetic field on the above contributions are discussed in detail.

Effects of Y_2O_3 on Thermal Shock of Al_2O_3/TiCN Composites

Thermal shock resistance of Al2O3-TiCN(30%)-Y2O3(0.2%) composite was studied by hot pressing(HP) method at different temperatures. The study shows that thermal shock resistance of the material is determined by its microstructure and reinforced mechanism. According to SEM and calculation of thermal shock, the fractured surface of Al2O3-30%TiCN-0.2%Y2O3 composite is undulate. The residual strength of Al2O3-30%TiCN-0.2%Y2O3 is higher than Al2O3-30%TiCN at 200～800 ℃ after thermal shock. Cracks initiation resistance (R′)and cracks propagation resistance (R″″)of Al2O3-30%TiCN-0.2%Y2O3 composite increases 12% and 5% respectively compared with that of Al2O3-30%TiCN. It matches with experimental results. The addition of Y2O3 forms YAG that inhibits crystal growth, and increases fracture stress, fracture toughness, cracks initiation resistance and cracks propagation resistance. Therefore, thermal shock resistance increases. The fracture work of Al2O3-30%TiCN and Al2O3-30%TiCN-0.2%Y2O3 composites are 132 and 148 J·m-2 respectively.

Microstructure and Tribological Behavior of Al2O3 Particle Reinforced Al Matrix Composites Fabricated by Spark Plasma Sintering

Nanoparticles and microparticles reinforced Al matrix composites were fabricated by spark plasma sintering, and the microstructure and tribological properties were investigated systemically. The nano-Al2O3 particle and micro-Al2O3 particle uniformly dispersed in Al matrix composites. The introduction of nanoparticles is beneficial to the decrease of friction coefficient and wear rate, while microparticles are responsible to the high friction coefficient, resulting in the abrasive wear. With the introduction of both nanoparticles and microparticles, their synergic effect will lead to the variation of tribological behavior.

Microstructure Characteristics of Interaction Layer of Zn-Al Eutectic Alloy with Al_2O_3p/6061Al Composites

The interaction between Zn-AI eutectic alloy and Al203p/6061AI composites in the vacuum furnace was investigated. Great attention has been paid to the elements diffusion, the microstructure and formation of the interface between Zn-AI eutectic alloy and Al2O3p/6061AI composites. Experimental results show that Zn-AI eutectic alloy has a good wetting ability to Al2O3p/6061 Al composites and the wetting angle decreases with increasing the temperature in vacuum. After the interaction, an interaction layer forms between Zn-AI alloy and Al2O3p/6061 Al composites. The phases in the interaction layer mainly consist of α-AI(Zn), Al2O3 and CuZn5 resulted from the diffusion of elements from the Zn-AI alloy. Several porosities distribute in the region near the interface of the Zn-AI alloy/interaction layer. The amount of shrinkage voids in the interacting layer is relevant to the penetration of Zn element into Al2O3p/6061Al composites which is a function of temperature. So it is necessary to lower heating temperature in order to limit the Zn penetration.

Study on Interface between Sub-micron Particles and Matrix in Al_2O_3p/Al Composites

The microstructural characteristic of 1070AI matrix composites reinforced by 0.15 祄 AI2O3 particles whose volume fraction was 40% was investigated by TEM and HREM. The results showed that the interface between the matrix and reinforcements was clean and bonded well, without any interfacial reaction products. There were some preferential crystallographic orientation relationships between Al matrix and AI2O3 particle because of the lattice imperfection on the surface of Al2O3 particles.

Fractal analysis of crack paths in Al_2O_3-TiC-4%Co composites

Al2O3-TiC-4%Co(volume fraction) composites(ATC) with high toughness (7.8±0.8 MPa·m1/2) and strength (782±60 MPa) were fabricated. In comparison with Al2O3-TiC composites(AT), the fracture toughness was significantly improved by 60%. The crack paths, generated by Vickers indentation on the polished surfaces of both composites, were analyzed from a fractal point of view to distinguish the possible toughening mechanisms involved. Quantitative evaluation of indentation cracks indicates that the crack deflection plays a more effective role. Cracks of the ATC composites show higher deflection angles and more deflections along the path. ATC composites present higher fractal dimension (D=1.07) than AT composites (D=1.02), which is directly related to the higher fracture toughness. A significant relationship between crack path and toughness is evident: the more irregular the geometry of the crack, the higher the fracture toughness.

Effect of graphite particle size on wear property of graphite and Al_2O_3 reinforced AZ91D-0.8%Ce composites

The graphite particles and Al_2O_3 short fibers reinforced AZ91D-0.8%Ce composites were fabricated by squeeze-infiltration technique.The researches about the effects of different graphite particle sizes on the microstructure and wear property of the composites were performed under the condition of constant contents of graphite particles and Al_2O_3 short fibers.The results reveal that the grain size of the composites changes less when the graphite particle size descends.Moreover,Ce enriches around the graphite particle and Al_2O_3 short fibers and forms Al_3Ce phase with A1 element.The graphite that works as lubricant decreases the wear loss.The wear resistance of the composites increases as the graphite particle size increases.At low load the composites have similar wear loss;at high load the composite with the largest graphite particle size has the best wear resistance.The wear mechanism of all the composites at low load is abrasive wear and oxidation wear;at high load,except the composites with the particle size of 240μm whose wear mechanism is still abrasive wear and oxidation wear,the wear mechanism of others changes to delamination wear.

Processing and Mechanical Properties of Al2O3 and Red Mud Particle Reinforced AA6061 Hybrid Composites

Aluminum 6061 alloy metal matrix composites (MMCs) reinforced with four different weight fractions of (Al2O3 + red mud) particles up to 10 wt% were fabricated by a vortex method. The effects of reinforcement content on the mechanical properties of the composites such as hardness and tensile strength were investigated. The density measurements showed that the samples contained little porosity, and the amount of porosity in the composites increased with increasing weight fraction of particles. Scanning electron microscopic observations of the microstructures revealed that the dispersion of the particles was uniform with small clusters at some places and porosity. The results showed that the hardness and the tensile strength of the composites increased with increasing weight fraction of particles.

Tape Casting of Al_2O_3-TiB_2/Al_2O_3-Nano-TiC Multilayer Composites

Ceramic tapes, containing Al2O3-25 wt pct TiB2(B) and Al2O3-25 wt pct nano-TiC (c), have been obtained by tape casting process. Numerous tapes (about 60～80 tapes) were prepared by stacking in turn the composition (B) and (C), laminating under 10 MPa pressure, eliminating the solvent and burning out the polymer additives. The final green bodies were hot pressed at 1750℃ and 30 MPa. The composite has a bending strength of 568 MPa and a fracture toughness of 5.8 M Pa·m1/2. SEM analysis exhibits that Al2O3 particle growth was inhibited by TiC particles in C. but TiB2 particles could not hinder Al2O3 growth in B. The curves of GTA indicates that all organic additives could be removed completely above 600℃

Modification of Nano-α-Al2O3 and Its Influence on the Surface Properties of Waterborne Polyurethane Resin Composite Passivation Films

Silane coupling agent KH560 was used to modify the surface of nano-α-Al2O3 in ethanol-aqueous solution with different proportions. The particle size of nano-α-Al2O3 was determined by nano-particle size analyzer, and the effects of nano-α-Al2O3 content, ethanol-aqueous solution ratio and KH560 dosage on the dispersion and particle size of nano-α-Al2O3 were investigated. The material structure before and after modification was determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Aqueous polyurethane resin and inorganic components are combined with modified nano-α-Al2O3 dispersion to form chromium-free passivation solution. The solution is coated on the galvanized sheet, the adhesion and surface hardness are tested, the bonding strength of the coating and the surface hardness of the substrate are discussed. The corrosion resistance and surface morphology of the matrix were investigated by electrochemical test, neutral salt spray test and scanning electron microscope test. The chromium-free passivation film formed after the modification of nano-α-Al2O3 increases the surface hardness of galvanized sheet by about 85%. The corrosion resistance of the film is better than that of a single polyurethane film. The results show that the surface hardness and corrosion resistance of polyurethane resin composite passivation film are significantly improved by the introduction of nano-α-Al2O3.

Structure and Magnetic Properties of FeCo/Al_2O_3 Nanocomposites

The soft magnetic nanocomposites with equiatomic FeCo particles dispersed in Al2O3 matrix were synthesized via a sol-gel technique combined with H2 reduction method. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and vibrating sample magnetometer. The FeCo nanoparticles in all the samples have the typical bcc structure. With the decreasing of Al2O3 content, the mean grain size of FeCo in the nanocomposites and the saturation magnetization of the samples increase, while the coercivity of samples increases firstly and then decreases due to different magnetic mechanisms.

Kinetics and Mechanism of Oxidation Induced Contraction of MgAl2O4 Spinel Carbon Composites Reinforced by Al4C3 in situ Reaction

Kinetics and mechanism of oxidation induced contraction of MgAl2O4 spinel carbon composites reinforced by Al4C3 in situ reaction were researched in air using vertical high temperature thermal dilatometer from 25℃to 1400℃.It is shown that oxidation induced contraction of MgAl2O4 spinel carbon composites reinforced Al4C3 in situ reaction is the common logarithm of oxidation time t and the oxygen partial pressure P inside MgAl2O4 spinel carbon composites reinforced by Al4C3 in situ reaction in air at 1400℃is as follows:P=F(-2.75×10^-4A+2.13×10^-3)lnt.The nonsteady diffusion kinetic equation of O2 at 1400℃inside the composites is as follows:J=De lnt.Acceleration of the total diffusional?flux of oxygen inside the composites at 1400℃is in inverse proportion to the oxidation time.The nonsteady state effective diffusion coefficient De of O2(g)inside the composites decreases in direct proportional to the increase of the amount of metallic aluminium.The method of preventing the oxidation induced contraction of MgAl2O4 spinel carbon composites reinforced by Al4C3 in situ reaction is to increase the amount of Al.The slag erosion index of MgO-Al2O3 spinel carbon composite reinforced by Al4C3 in situ reaction is 0.47 times that of MgO-CaO brick used in the lining above slag line area of a VOD stainless steel-making vessel.HMOR of MgO-Al2O3 spinel carbon composite reinforced by Al4C3 in situ reaction is 26.7 MPa,HMOR of the composite is 3.6 times the same as that of MgO-CaO brick used in the lining above slag line area of a VOD vessel.Its service life is two times as many as that of MgO-CaO brick.

Performance Research of UPR/Al_2O_3 Composite Particles

UPR/Al2O3 composite particles were synthesized from unsaturated polyester resin(UPR) and nanometer/ultra-fine Al2O3 powders by means of suspension polymerization.The effects of Al2O3 with two different particle diameters on the density and hardness of the composite particles during the synthesis were studied.The results show UPR/Al2O3 composite particles synthesized by suspension polymerization are spherical,smooth,with a yield of 60%～75%(wt),and the particle diameters are 140～250μm;Al2O3 can effectively improves the density and hardness of the composite particles;when the contet is the same,effect of ultra-fine Al2O3 on the density and hardness of the composite particles is better than that of nanometer Al2O3;When the mass fraction of Al2O3 is 55%,the maximum hardness of ultra-fine Al2O3 composite particles and nanometer Al2O3 composite particles are 39.42HV and 25.66HV respectively.