An overview of additively manufactured metal matrix composites:preparation,performance,and challenge

Metal matrix composites(MMCs)are frequently employed in various advanced industries due to their high modulus and strength,favorable wear and corrosion resistance,and other good properties at elevated temperatures.In recent decades,additive manufacturing(AM)technology has garnered attention as a potential way for fabricating MMCs.This article provides a comprehensive review of recent endeavors and progress in AM of MMCs,encompassing available AM technologies,types of reinforcements,feedstock preparation,synthesis principles during the AM process,typical AM-produced MMCs,strengthening mechanisms,challenges,and future interests.Compared to conventionally manufactured MMCs,AM-produced MMCs exhibit more uniformly distributed reinforcements and refined microstructure,resulting in comparable or even better mechanical properties.In addition,AM technology can produce bulk MMCs with significantly low porosity and fabricate geometrically complex MMC components and MMC lattice structures.As reviewed,many AM-produced MMCs,such as Al matrix composites,Ti matrix composites,nickel matrix composites,Fe matrix composites,etc,have been successfully produced.The types and contents of reinforcements strongly influence the properties of AM-produced MMCs,the choice of AM technology,and the applied processing parameters.In these MMCs,four primary strengthening mechanisms have been identified:Hall–Petch strengthening,dislocation strengthening,load transfer strengthening,and Orowan strengthening.AM technologies offer advantages that enhance the properties of MMCs when compared with traditional fabrication methods.Despite the advantages above,further challenges of AM-produced MMCs are still faced,such as new methods and new technologies for investigating AM-produced MMCs,the intrinsic nature of MMCs coupled with AM technologies,and challenges in the AM processes.Therefore,the article concludes by discussing the challenges and future interests of AM of MMCs.

Additive manufacturing of magnesium matrix composites: Comprehensive review of recent progress and research perspectives

The magnesium matrix composites(MMCs) formed by introducing reinforcements to magnesium alloys overcome the limitations of the mechanical properties to a certain extent, presenting unique and excellent properties that any component does not have, such as high specific stiffness and specific strength, good dimensional stability, outstanding shock absorption performance, excellent electromagnetic shielding and hydrogen storage characteristics, etc. As an emerging manufacturing technology, additive manufacturing(AM) is based on the design of threedimensional(3D) data model to obtain 3D objects through layer-by-layer processing, which possesses the advantages of short manufacturing cycle, high material utilization rate, high degree of design freedom, excellent mechanical properties and the ability to fabricate complex structural components. Combining the high stiffness and high strength properties of MMCs and the technical advantages of AM forming complex structural parts with high performance, the prepared AM MMCs have huge potential advantages and broad application prospects in new high-tech industries such as automobile, aerospace, consumer electronics and biomedicine, etc. This paper reviews the research progress in the field of AM MMCs, mainly introduces the main AM technologies, including selective laser melting(SLM), electron beam selective melting(EBSM), laser engineered net shaping(LENS) and wire and arc additive manufacturing(WAAM). The formation mechanism and control methods of the typical defects including balling effect, porosity, poor fusion, loss of alloy elements and cracks produced during AM are discussed. The main challenges of AM MMCs are proposed from the aspects of composition design and the preparation of powder raw material. The relationship between the microstructure and mechanical properties, corrosion performance and biocompatibility of AM MMCs are elaborated in detail. The application potential of AM MMCs in various fields at present and in the future is introduced. Finally, the development direction and urgent problems to be solved in the AM MMCs are prospected.

Deformation Characteristics and Mechanical Properties of Ti/Al Bimetallic Composite Materials Fabricated by Wire Plus Arc Additive Manufacturing

We focused on Ti/Al composite materials fabricated by wire and arc addictive manufacturing,and the microstructure and interface characteristics of them before and after hot compression deformation were compared.After compression deformation,allαstructures of titanium were compacted with the emergence of Widmanstatten structures.Coarsened coloniesαof titanium were elongated and waved along the original growth direction,resulting in anisotropy of grains.Pores and Ti/Al intermetallic compounds of aluminum are significantly decreased after hot compression.Meanwhile,a good bonding interface between titanium and aluminum is obtained after hot compression,and the element diffusion is more intense.In addition,the mechanical properties and fracture behaviors of Ti/Al composite material with different clad ratio that is defined as the ratio of the thickness of titanium to that of the Ti/Al composite material are investigated by uniaxial tensile test.The experimental results show that the ultimate tensile strength of Ti/Al composite material is between that of single deposited titanium and aluminum,while the elongation of Ti/Al composite material with low clad ratio is lower than that of single aluminum due to the metallurgical reaction.As the clad ratio increases,the two component layers are harder to separate during deformation,which is resulted from the decrease of the inward contraction stress of three-dimensional stress caused by necking of aluminum.This work may promote the engineering application of Ti/Al bimetallic structures.

Preparation and properties of porous silicon carbide ceramics through coat-mix and composite additives process

The core-shell structure silicon-resin precursor powders were synthesized through coat-mix process and addition of Al2O3-SiO2-Y2O3 composite additives.A series of porous silicon carbide ceramics were produced after molding,carbonization and sintering.The phase,morphology,porosity,thermal conductivity,thermal expansion coefficient,and thermal shock resistance were analyzed.The results show that porous silicon carbide ceramics can be produced at low temperature.The grain size of porous silicon carbide ceramic is small,and the thermal conductivity is enhanced significantly.Composite additives also improve the thermal shock resistance of porous ceramics.The bending strength loss rate after 30 times of thermal shock test of the porous ceramics which were added Al2O3-SiO2-Y2O3 and sintered at 1 650 ℃ is only 6.5%.Moreover,the pore inside of the sample is smooth,and the pore size distribution is uniform.Composite additives make little effect on the thermal expansion coefficient of the porous silicon carbide ceramics.

Preparation and Tribological Properties of Lanthanum-doped Muscovite Composite Particles as Lubricant Additives in Lithium Grease

Lanthanum-doped muscovite(MC) composite particles(hereinafter abbreviated as La-MC) were prepared by the mechanical solid-state-chemistry-reaction method, followed by surface modification with oleic acid. The microstructure of materials was characterized by SEM, XRD, EDS and FTIR. Furthermore, the friction-reduction and anti-wear properties of MC and La-MC as lubricant additives in lithium grease were evaluated using a four-ball friction and wear tester. The results showed that La(OH)_3 nanoparticles were coated on the surface of muscovite. Both MC and La-MC can effectively improve the friction-reduction and anti-wear properties of lithium grease and La-MC presents better tribological properties than MC. The excellent tribological properties of La-MC can be attributed to the formation of the adsorbed La-MC film and the chemical reaction film mainly composed of Fe_2O_3 and SiO_2 on the worn surface, as well as the catalysis of lanthanum element during the friction process.

Laser Additive Manufacturing on Metal Matrix Composites: A Review

Important progresses in the study of laser additive manufacturing on metal matrix composites(MMCs)have been made.Recent efforts and advances in additive manufacturing on 5 types of MMCs are presented and reviewed.The main focus is on the material design,the combination of reinforcement and the metal matrix,the synthesis principle during the manufacturing process,and the resulted microstructures as well as properties.Thereafter,the trend of development in future is forecasted,including:Formation mechanism and reinforcement principle of strengthening phase;Material and process design to actively achieve expected performance;Innovative structure design based on the special properties of laser AM MMCs;Simulation,monitoring and optimization in the process of laser AM MMCs.

LiF and LiNO_(3) as synergistic additives for PEO-PVDF/LLZTO-based composite electrolyte towards high-voltage lithium batteries with dualinterfaces stability

Solid electrolytes with desirable properties such as high ionic conductivity,wide electrochemical stable window,and suitable mechanical strength,and stable electrode-electrolyte interfaces on both cathode and anode side are essential for high-voltage all-solid-state lithium batteries(ASSLBs)to achieve excellent cycle stability.In this work,a novel strategy of using LiF and LiNO_(3) as synergistic additives to boost the performance of PEO-PVDF/LLZTO-based composite solid electrolytes(CSEs)is developed,which also promotes the assembled high-voltage ASSLBs with dual-interfaces stability characteristic.Specifically,LiF as an inactive additive can increase the electrochemical stability of the CSE under high cut-off voltage,and improve the high-voltage compatibility between cathode and CSE,thus leading to a stable cathode/CSE interface.LiNO_(3) as an active additive can lead to an enhanced ionic conductivity of CSE due to the increased free-mobile Li+and ensure a stable CSE/Li interface by forming stable solid electrolyte interphase(SEI)on Li anode surface.Benefiting from the improved performance of CSE and stable dualinterfaces,the assembled NCM622/9[PEO_(15)-LiTFSI]-PVDF-15 LLZTO-2 LiF-3 LiNO_(3)/Li cell delivers a high rate capacity of 102.1 mAh g^(-1) at 1.0 C and a high capacity retention of 77.4%after 200 cycles at 0.5 C,which are much higher than those of the ASSLB assembled with additive-free CSE,with only 60.0 mAh g^(-1) and 52.0%,respectively.Furthermore,novel cycle test modes of resting for 5 h at different charge states after every 5 cycles are designed to investigate the high-voltage compatibility between cathode and CSE,and the results suggest that LiF additive can actually improve the high-voltage compatibility of cathode and CSE.All the obtained results confirm that the strategy of using synergistic additives in CSE is an effective way to achieve high-voltage ASSLBs with dual-interfaces stability.

Effect of Sintering Additives on Properties of Si_3N_4BN Composites Fabricated via Die Pressing and Precursor Infiltration and Pyrolysis Route

The Si3N4-BN composites have been prepared via die pressing and precursor infiltration and pyrolysis route using borazine as precursor, and the effect of sintering additives on properties of the composites has been investigated. After sintering additives are adopted, the a to β phase transition of Si3N4 and the mechanical properties of the composites at both room temperature and high temperature are all increased with small extent. When using Y2O3＋Al2O3 as additives, the phase transition of Si3N4 and the mechanical properties of the composites have better results. The β-Si3N4 content is 17.47%. The flexural strength, elastic modulus and fracture toughness of the composites are 188.74 MPa, 84.34 GPa and 2.96 MPa.m1/2, respectively. After exposed at 1 000 ℃ in the air for 15 min, the flexural strength of the composites is 154.62 MPa with a residual ratio of 81.92%. The elongated β-Si3N4 grains appear in all composites with different sintering additives. Relatively more rod like β-Si3N4 grains can be observed in composites with Y2O3＋Al2O3 as additives, making it to possess better mechanical properties.

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.

In-situ Synthesis and Catalytic Properties of ZSM-5/Rectorite Composites as Propylene Boosting Additive in Fluid Catalytic Cracking Process

Using rectorite extrudates from calcined rectorite powder as the starting material, a series of ZSM-5/rectorite composites were prepared via the in-situ crystallization method. The physicochemical properties and propylene boosting performance of the resulting samples were characterized by using X-ray diffraction, scan- ning electronic microscopy/energy dispersive spectrometer, N2 adsorption-desorption, and Fourier transformed in/tared spectroscopy of pyndine adsorption, respectively, and assessed by using Daqing atmospheric residue as Iced- stock. The results showed that the ZSM-5/rectorite composites in which the ZSM-5 phase grows inositu as a 2-3 p,m thick layer on rectorite particles have a trimodal microporous-mesoporous-macroporous structure and thus exhibit outstanding propylene boosting performance. Compared with a commercial ZSM-5 incorporated fluid catalytic cracking catalyst, the ZSM-5/rectorite composite incorporated catalyst increased the yield and selectivity of propylene by 2.44% and 5.35%, respectively.

Hydrogen storage properties of ball-milled Mg-based composite with PdCl_2 additive

Mg-25 wt% Mg2Ni composite was prepared by sintered method, hydrided at 613 K and then ball-milled with 1.5 wt% PdC12 additive for 51 h. The effects of PdCl2 on the hydriding and dehydriding behavior of Mg-25 wt% Mg2Ni composite were investigated. The absorption and desorption rate of the composite with PdCl2 is fast and the hydrogen storage capacity is more than that of the composite without PdCl2. The maximum hydrogen storage capacity reached 3.48 wt% at 373 K, and 5.05 wt% H at 453 K, respectively. The improvement of sorption and desorption kinetics is attributed to the catalytic effect of PdCl2, and the grain refining and lattice strain introduced by ball milling.

Effect of rare earth additives on alumina fiber development in Ti-Al intermetallic matrix composites

Al2O3(f)/TiAl composites were synthesized by an exothermic reaction method using Ti,Al and TiO2 powders doped with Nb2O5 and La2O3. The effect of Nb2O5 and La2O3 additives on the growth and morphology of the fibers, the phases and microstructure of the composites were investigated by means of XRD and SEM. The result indicates that the in situ alumina fiber can be developed in Ti-Al matrix with the Ti/Al mole ratio of 1:2-1:7, and the addition of rare earth powders can improve the dispersion of the fibers in the matrix and increase the length-to-diameter ratio of the fibers.

THE EFFECT OF SILICON ADDITIVE ON THESTRUCTURE AND PROPERTIES OFC－B_4C－SiC COMPOSITE

A Preliminary study of the effect of silicon additive on the structure and properites of C-B_4C-SiC composite was conducted. A liquid Phase has formed and the liquid Si reacts with C to form SiC at the grain boundary when sintering, which accelerates the sintering process and retards the grain growth. Consequently, the density and strength of the composite increase markedly. And the increase in the density increases the oxidation resistance and decreases the specific resistance of the composite. Furthermore,the C-B_4 C-SiC composite has good heat-shock resistance. The phenomena may be dueto the strengthening and toughening of microcracks.

Effects of CeO_2 additives on the microstructure and mechanical properties of WC-Al_2O_3 composites

To improve the mechanical properties of WC-Al2O3 composites, the effects of trace amount of CeO2 additives on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the WC-Al2O3 composites prepared by hot pressing were investigated. The results revealed that the WC-Al2O3 composites doped with 0.1% CeOz possessed refined microstructure and enhanced mechanical properties compared with that of the undoped WC-Al2O3composites. Trace CeO2 suppressed the decarburization of WC, promoted the microstructural refinement, and improved the interface coherence of the WC matrix and Al2O3. When 0.1% CeO2 was added to the WC-Al2O3 composites, the effect of CeO2 resulted in the achievement of a relative density of 98.82% with an excellent Vickers hardness of 16.89 GPa, combining a fracture toughness of 9.85 MPa. m1/2 with an acceptable flexural strength of 1 024.05 MPa.

An Al–Al interpenetrating-phase composite by 3D printing and hot extrusion

We report a process route to fabricate an Al–Al interpenetrating-phase composite by combining the Al–Mg–Mn–Sc–Zr lattice structure and Al_(84)Ni_(7)Gd_(6)Co_(3)nanostructured structure. The lattice structure was produced by the selective laser melting and subsequently filled with the Al_(84)Ni_(7)Gd_(6)Co_(3)amorphous powder, and finally the mixture was used for hot extrusion to produce bulk samples. The results show that the composites achieve a high densification and good interface bonding due to the element diffusion and plastic deformation during hot extrusion.The bulk samples show a heterogeneous structure with a combination of honeycomb lattice structure with an average grain size of less than1 μm and nanostructured area with a high volume fraction of nanometric intermetallics and nanograin α-Al. The heterogeneous structure leads to a bimodal mechanical zone with hard area and soft area giving rise to high strength and acceptable plasticity, where the compressive yield strength and the compressive plasticity can reach ~745 MPa and ~30%, respectively. The high strength can be explained by the rule of mixture,the grain boundary strengthening, and the back stress, while the acceptable plasticity is mainly owing to the confinement effect of the nanostructured area retarding the brittle fracture behavior.

Effect of minor Nb addition on mechanical properties of in-situ Cu-based bulk metallic glass composite

In-situ formed （Cu0.6Zr0.3Ti0.1）95Nb5 bulk metallic glass （BMG） composite with Nb-rich dendrite randomly dispersed in hard glassy matrix was prepared by casting into a water-cooled copper mold. The dendrite has much smaller hardness and elastic modulus than glassy matrix, and the stress concentration at interface provides a channel for the initiating and branching of shear bands upon loading, thus leading to a high compressive fracture strain of 6.08% and fracture strength about 2200 MPa. Comparing with other Cu-based BMG composite, the fracture strength of present （Cu0.6Zr0.3Ti0.1）95Nb5 composite is not significantly reduced, indicating that the addition of Nb in the current work is an effective and effortless way to fabricate new practical BMG composites with enhanced strength and good plasticity.

Mechanical properties and failure behavior of 3D printed thermoplastic composites using continuous basalt fiber under high-volume fraction

Continuous basalt fiber(CBF)is an outstanding inorganic fiber produced from nature,which has a wide range of applications in the field of armor protection of national defense military.However,the mechanical response and failure mechanism of 3D printed CBF reinforced components are still not well understood.Here,the 3D printing thermoplastic composites with high volume fraction CBF have been successfully prepared by fused deposition modelling(FDM)method.The effects of fiber printing direction and polymer matrix type on the tensile and flexural properties of the 3D printed composites have been explored,and the detailed failure morphology has been characterized using scanning electron microscopy and optical microscopy.It was found that under high fiber volume fraction,3D printed CBF reinforced polyamides(PA)composites have the best ability to maintain material integrity of the composites,followed by acrylonitrile butadiene styrene(ABS)and high impact polystyrene(HIPS).Besides,the results from rule of mixtures can accurately predict the longitudinal Young’s modulus of the 3D printed specimens,but there exists a large discrepancy for the prediction of the tensile strength.The microstructure analysis shows that the failure modes of 3D printed composites mainly include fiber debonding,fiber pull-out,stress whitening and matrix cracking.

A novel Ti-5.55Al-6.70Zr-1.50V-0.70Mo-3.41Nb-0.21Si alloy designed using cluster-plus-glue-atom model for laser additive manufacturing

A novel Ti-5.55Al-6.70Zr-1.50V-0.70Mo-3.41Nb-0.21Si alloy was designed using the cluster formula approach(cluster-plus-glue-atom model)and prepared by laser melting deposition(LMD).Its composition formula 12[Al-Ti_(12)](AlTi_(2))+5[Al_(0.8)Si_(0.2)-Ti_(12)Zr_(2)](V_(0.8)Mo_(0.2)Nb_(1)Ti)features an enhancedβ-Ti via co-alloying of Zr,V,Mo,Nb and Si.The experimental results show that the cluster formula ofαandβphases in the novel alloy are respectivelyα-[Al-Ti_(11.5)Zr_(0.5)](Al_(1)Ti_(2))andβ-[Al_(0.8)Si_(0.2)-Ti_(13.2)Zr_(0.8)](V_(1)Mo_(0.4)Nb_(1.6)),both containing Zr elements.The fitted composition via the α andβphase cluster formulas has little difference with the actual alloy composition,suggesting that the validity of cluster-plus-glue-atom model in the alloy composition design.After hot isostatic pressing(HIP),both the Ti-6Al-4V and the novel alloy by LMD are characterized by prior-βcolumnar grains,while the typical<100>texture disappears.Compared with Ti-6Al-4V,Ti-5.55Al-6.70Zr-1.50V-0.70Mo-3.41Nb-0.21Si alloy exhibits a combination of higher strength(1,056 MPa)and higher ductility(14%)at room temperature and higher strength(580 MPa)at 550℃ after HIP,and can potentially serves as LMD materials.

Crystallization and dielectric properties of lead-free glass-ceramic composites with Gd_2O_3 addition

Lead-free glass-ceramic composites in barium sodium niobate silica system with Gd2O3 addition were synthesized through melt-casting fol-lowed by controlled crystallization technique. Crystallization and dielectric properties of the Gd2O3 adding glass-ceramic composites were investigated. With the increase in the concentration of Gd2O3, the glass transition temperature and the crystallization temperature of the pre-cursor glass shift towards the higher temperature. The crystallization behavior that occurred during the heat treatment procedure leads to the enhancement of dielectric constant. All the three compositions of glass-ceramic composites exhibit ferroelectricity when tested at room tem-perature. Both the values of the remanent polarization and coercive field are enhanced regularly with the gradual increase in the concentration of Gd2O3 additive under the same testing field.

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.