Effects of diamond particle size on microstructure and properties of diamond/Al-12Si composites prepared by vacuum-assisted pressure infiltration

Diamond/aluminium composites have attracted attention in the field of thermal management of electronic packaging for their excellent properties.In order to solve the interfacial problem between diamond and aluminium,a novel process combining pressure infiltration with vacuum-assisted technology was proposed to prepare diamond/aluminum composites.The effect of diamond particle size on the microstructure and properties of the diamond/Al-12Si composites was investigated.The results show that the diamond/Al-12Si composites exhibit high relative density and a uniform microstructure.Both thermal conductivity and coefficient of thermal expansion increase with increasing particle size,while the bending strength exhibits the opposite trend.When the average diamond particle size increases from 45μm to 425μm,the thermal conductivity of the composites increases from 455 W·m^(-1)·K^(-1)to 713 W·m^(-1)·K^(-1)and the coefficient of thermal expansion increases from 4.97×10^(-6)K^(-1)to 6.72×10^(-6)K^(-1),while the bending strength decreases from 353 MPa to 246 MPa.This research demonstrates that high-quality composites can be prepared by the vacuum-assisted pressure infiltration process and the thermal conductivity of the composites can be effectively improved by increasing the diamond particle size.

Effect of Heat Treatment on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Multiscale SiC_p Hybrid Reinforced 6061 Aluminum Matrix Composites

The performance of solid solution aging treatment on aluminum matrix composites prepared by powder metallurgy and reinforced with 6061 aluminum alloy powder as matrix;meanwhile, nano silicon carbide particles(nm Si Cp), submicron silicon carbide particles(1 μm Si Cp) and Ti particles were studied. The Al/Si Cp composite powder was prepared by high-energy ball milling, and then cold-pressed, sintered, hotextruded, and then heat-treated with different solution temperatures and aging times for the extruded composites. Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDS), X-ray diffractometer(XRD) and extrusion testing were used to analyze and test the microstructure and mechanical properties of aluminum matrix composites. The results show that after the multi-stage solid solution at 530 ℃×2 h+535 ℃×2 h+540 ℃×2 h, the particles are mainly equiaxed grains and uniformly distributed. There is no reinforcement agglomeration, and the surface is dense and the insoluble phase is basically dissolved. In the matrix, the strengthening effect is good, and the hardness and compressive strength are 179.43 HV and 680.42 MPa, respectively. Under this solution process, when the aluminum matrix composites are aged at 170 ℃ for 10 h, the hardness and compressive strength can reach their peaks and increase to 195.82 HV and 721.48 MPa, respectively.

Anti-explosion performance and dynamic response of an innovative multi-layer composite explosion containment vessel

An innovative multi-layer composite explosion containment vessel(CECV)utilizing a sliding steel platealuminum honeycomb-fiber cloth sandwich is put forward to improve the anti-explosion capacity of a conventional single-layer explosion containment vessel(SECV).Firstly,a series of experiments and finite element(FE)simulations of internal explosions are implemented to understand the basic anti-explosion characteristics of a SECV and the rationality of the computational models and methods is verified by the comparison between the experimental results and simulation results.Based on this,the CECV is designed in detail and a variety of FE simulations are carried out to investigate effects of the sandwich structure,the explosive quantity and the laying mode of the fiber cloth on anti-explosion performance and dynamic response of the CECV under internal explosions.Simulation results indicate that the end cover is the critical position for both the SECV and CECV.The maximum pressure of the explosion shock wave and the maximum strain of the CECV can be extremely declined compared to those of the SECV.As a result,the explosive quantity the CECV can sustain is up to 20 times of that the SECV can sustain.Besides,as the explosive quantity increases,the internal pressure of the CECV keeps growing and the plastic deformation and failure of the sandwich structure become more and more severe,yielding plastic strain of the CECV in addition to elastic strain.The results also reveal that the laying angles of the fiber cloth's five layers have an impact on the anti-explosion performance of the CECV.For example,the CECV with fiber cloth layered in 0°/45°/90°/45°/0°mode has the optimal anti-capacity,compared to 0°/0°/0°/0°/0°and 0°/30°/60°/30°/0°modes.Overall,owing to remarkable anti-explosion capacity,this CECV can be regarded as a promising candidate for explosion resistance.

Iron/aluminum nanocomposites prepared by one-step reduction method and their effects on thermal decomposition of AP and AN

Aluminum(Al)powder is widely used in solid propellants.In particular,nano-Al has attracted extensive scholarly attention in the field of energetic materials due to its higher reactivity than micro-Al.However,the existence of aluminum oxide film on its surface reduces the heat release performance of the aluminum powder,which greatly limits its application.Hence,this paper used iron,a component of solid propellant,to coat micron-Al and nano-Al to improve the heat release efficiency and reactivity of Al powder.SEM,TEM,EDS,XRD,XPS,and BET were used to investigate the morphological structure and properties of pure Al and Fe/Al composite fuels of different sizes.The results show that Fe was uniformly coated on the surface of Al powder.There was no reaction between Fe and Al,and Fe/Al composite fuels had a larger specific surface area than pure Al,which could better improve the reactivity of pure Al.Besides,the catalytic effects of pure Al and Fe/Al composite fuels of different sizes on ammonium perchlorate and ammonium nitrate were explored.The results show that the catalysis of pure Al powder could be greatly improved by coating Fe on the surface of Al powder.Especially,the micron-Fe/Al composite fuel had a higher catalytic effect than the pure nano-Al powder.Hence,Fe/Al composite fuels are expected to be widely used in solid propellants.

Properties and microstructure of Cu/diamond composites prepared by spark plasma sintering method

Cu/diamond composites have been considered as the next generation of thermal management material for electronic packages and heat sinks applications. Cu/diamond composites with different volume fractions of diamond were successfully prepared by spark plasma sintering（SPS） method. The sintering temperatures and volume fractions（50%, 60% and 70%） of diamond were changed to investigate their effects on the relative density, homogeneity of the microstructure and thermal conductivity of the composites. The results show that the relative density, homogeneity of the microstructure and thermal conductivity of the composites increase with decreasing the diamond volume fraction; the relative density and thermal conductivity of the composites increase with increasing the sintering temperature. The thermal conductivity of the composites is a result of the combined effect of the volume fraction of diamond, the homogeneity and relative density of the composites.

Effect of heat treatment on microstructure and thermophysical properties of diamond/2024 Al composites

50%diamond particle （5μm） reinforced 2024 aluminum matrix （diamond/2024 Al） composites were prepared by pressure infiltration method. Diamond particles were distributed uniformly without any particle clustering, and no apparent porosities or significant casting defects were observed in the composites. The diamond-Al interfaces of as-cast and annealed diamond/2024 Al composites were clean, smooth and free from interfacial reaction product. However, a large number of Al2Cu precipitates were found at diamond-Al interface after aging treatment. Moreover, needle-shaped Al2MgCu precipitates in Al matrix were observed after aging treatment. The coefficient of thermal expansion （CTE） of diamond/2024 Al composites was about 8.5×10-6 °C-1 between 20 and 100 °C, which was compatible with that with chip materials. Annealing treatment showed little effect on thermal expansion behavior, and aging treatment could further decrease the CTE of the composites. The thermal conductivity of obtained diamond/2024 Al composites was about 100 W/（m？K）, and it was slightly increased after annealing while decreased after aging treatment.

Direct-chill semi-continuous casting process of three-layer composite ingot of 4045/3004/4045 aluminum alloys

Three-layer composite ingot of 4045/3004/4045 aluminum alloys was prepared by direct-chill semi-continuous casting process,the temperature field distribution near the composite interface,macro-morphology,microstructure and composition distribution of the composite interface were investigated.The results show that semi-solid layer with a certain thickness forms near the interface due to the effect of cooling plate,which ensures successful implementation of casting the composite ingot.Two different aluminum alloys are well bonded metallurgically.The mechanical properties of composite interface were measured,the tensile and shearing strengths of composite interface are 105 and 88 MPa,respectively,which proves that the composite interface is a kind of metallurgical bonding.

Microstructure and thermophysical properties of SiC/Al composites mixed with diamond

The thermophysical properties of the SiC /Al composites mixed with diamond（SiC-Dia/Al） were studied through theoretical calculation and experiments. The thermal conductivity and the thermal expansion coefficient of the SiC-Dia/Al were calculated by differential effective medium（DEM） theoretical model and extended Turner model, respectively. The microstructure of the SiC-Dia/Al shows that the combination between SiC particles and Al is close, while that between diamond particles and Al is not close. The experimental results of the thermophysical properties of the SiC-Dia/Al are consistent with the calculated ones. The calculation results show that when the volume ratio of the diamond particles to the SiC particles is 3：7, the thermal conductivity and the thermal expansion coefficient can be improved by 39% and 30% compared to SiC/Al composites, respectively. In other words, by adding a small amount of diamond particles, the thermophysical properties of the composites can be improved effectively, while the cost increases little.

Preparation and characterization of Ce-silane-ZrO_2 composite coatings on 1060 aluminum

In order to improve the property of traditional Ce-based conversion coatings, Ce-silane-ZrO2 composite coatings were successfully prepared on 1060 aluminum. The microstructure, chemical element composition and corrosion resistance of Ce-based conversion coatings and Ce-silane-ZrO2 composite coatings were investigated by SEM, AFM, XPS and EIS analyses. Stacking structure of the composite coating can be observed. The inner layer of the composite coatings mainly consists of oxide and hydroxide of Ce（Ⅲ）, and the silane network is composed of the outer layer together with a small amount of Ce（Ⅳ） hydroxide. By adding silane and ZrO2 nanoparticles into Ce-based conversion coatings, the porosity and the micro cracks of the coatings decrease apparently accompanying with the improvement of the corrosion resistance.

In-situ homogeneous synthesis of carbon nanotubes on aluminum matrix and properties of their composites

Using nickel catalyst supported on aluminum powders, carbon nanotubes （CNTs） were successfully synthesized in aluminum powders by in-situ chemical vapor deposition at 650 ℃. Structural characterization revealed that the as-grown CNTs possessed higher graphitization degree and straight graphite shell. By this approach, more homogeneous dispersion of CNTs in aluminum powders was achieved compared with the traditional mechanical mixture methods. Using the in-situ synthesized CNTs/Al composite powders and powder metallurgy process, CNTs/Al bulk composites were prepared. Performance testing showed that the mechanical properties and dimensional stability of the composites were improved obviously, which was attributed to the superior dispersion of CNTs in aluminum matrix and the strong interfacial bonding between CNTs and matrix.

Application of ultra-smooth composite diamond film coated WC-Co drawing dies under water-lubricating conditions

A specific revised HFCVD apparatus and a novel process combining HFCVD and polishing technique were presented to deposit the micro-and nano-crystalline multilayered ultra-smooth diamond（USCD） film on the interior-hole surface of WC-Co drawing dies with aperture ranging from d1.0 mm to 60 mm.Characterization results indicate that the surface roughness values（Ra） in the entry zone,drawing zone and bearing zone of as-fabricated USCD coated drawing die were measured as low as 25.7,23.3 and 25.5 nm,respectively.Furthermore,the friction properties of USCD films were examined in both dry sliding and water-lubricating conditions,and the results show that the USCD film presents much superior friction properties.Its friction coefficients against ball-bearing steel,copper and silicon nitride balls（d4 mm）,is always lower than that of microcrystalline diamond（MCD） or WC-Co sample,regardless of the lubricating condition.Meanwhile,it still presents competitive wear resistance with the MCD films.Finally,the working lifetime and performance of as-fabricated USCD coated drawing dies were examined under producing low-carbon steel pipes in dry-sliding and water-lubricating conditions.Under the water-lubricating drawing condition,its production significantly increases by about 20 times compared with the conventional WC-Co drawing dies.

Preparation and characterization of diamond film on Cu substrate using Cu-diamond composite interlayer

Large area diamond films were fabricated on copper substrates by a multi-step process comprised of electroplating Cu-diamond composite layer on Cu substrate, plating a Cu layer to fix the protruding diamond particles, and depositing continuous diamond film on composite interlayer by hot-filament chemical vapor deposition （HFCVD）. The interface characteristics, internal stress and adhesion strength were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, Raman analysis and indentation test. The results show that the continuous film without cracks is successfully obtained. The microstructure of the film is a mixture of large cubo-octahedron grains grown from homo-epitaxial growth and small grains with （111） apparent facets grown from lateral second nuclei. The improved adhesion between diamond film and substrate results from the deep anchoring of the diamond particles in the Cu matrix and the low residual stress in the film.

Three-point bending performance of a new aluminum foam composite structure

A new composite structure based on aluminum foam sandwich and fiber metal laminate was proposed. A layer of glass fiber was provided at the interface between the metal panel and the aluminum foam core in this composite structure, using adhesive technology to bond the materials together by organic glue in the sequence of metal panel, glass fiber, aluminum foam core, glass fiber and metal panel. The experimental results show that the new composite structure has an improved comprehensive performance compared with the traditional aluminum foam sandwiches. The optimized parameters for the fabrication of the new aluminum foam composite structure with best bending strength were obtained. The epoxy resin and low porosity aluminum foams are preferred, the thickness of aluminum sheets should be at least 1.5 mm, and the type of glass fiber has little effect on the bending strength. The main failure modes of the new composite structures with two types of glues were discussed.

Fractal analysis of fracture surfaces in aluminum borate whisker-reinforced aluminum alloy 6061 composite

The effect of interface reaction on the fractal dimensions of fracture surface in aluminum borate whisker-reinforced aluminum alloy 6061 composite was investigated. The composite was fabricated by squeeze-casting technique. The fracture surfaces created in tensile test were measured by vertical sectioning method. Fractal phenomena were found in two plots, in which the measuring units were from 3 to 15 μm and 1 to 5 μm, respectively. The relation was established between the tensile properties and fractal dimension with measuring units of 3-15 μm. The results show that the ultimate tensile strength increases while the fracture surface roughness increases with fractal dimension increasing due to the change in fracture mode depending on the degree of interface reaction status induced by heat treatment. But when the measuring units are 1-5 μm, fractal dimension does not change with heat treatment.

Microstructure and thermal conductivity of copper matrix composites reinforced with mixtures of diamond and SiC particles

The thermal conductivity of diamond hybrid SiC/Cu,diamond/Cu and SiC/Cu composite were calculated by using the extended differential effective medium (DEM) theoretical model in this paper.The effects of the particle volume fraction,the particle size and the volume ratio of the diamond particles to the total particles on the thermal conductivity of the composite were studied.The DEM theoretical calculation results show that,for the diamond hybrid SiC/Cu composite,when the particle volume fraction is above 46% and the volume ratio of the diamond particles to the SiC particles is above 13:12,the thermal conductivity of the composite can reach 500 W·m-1·K-1.The thermal conduc-tivity of the composite has little change when the particle size is above 200μm.The experimental results show that Ti can improve the wettability of the SiC and Cu.The thermal conductivity of the diamond hybrid SiCTi/Cu is almost two times better than that of the diamond hybrid SiC/Cu.It is feasible to predict the thermal conductivity of the composite by DEM theoretical model.

Predicted interfacial thermal conductance and thermal conductivity of diamond/Al composites with various interfacial coatings

The interfacial thermal conductance （ITC） and thermal conductivity （TC） of diamond/Al composites with various coatings were theoretically studied and discussed. A series of predictions and numerical analyses were performed to investigate the effect of thickness, sound velocity, and other parameters of coating layers on the ITC and TC. It is found that both the ITC and TC decline with increasing coating thickness, especially for the coatings with relatively low thermal conductivity. Nevertheless, if the coating thickness is close to zero, or quite a small value, the ITC and TC are mainly determined by the constants of the coating material. Under this condition, coatings such as Ni, TiC, Mo 2 C, SiC, and Si can significantly improve the ITC and TC of diamond/Al composites. By contrast, coatings like Ag will exert the negative effect. Taking the optimization of interfacial bonding into account, conductive carbides such as TiC or Mo 2 C with low thickness can be the most suitable coatings for diamond/Al composites.

Selective interfacial bonding and thermal conductivity of diamond/Cu-alloy composites prepared by HPHT technique

Cu-based and Cu-alloy-based diamond composites were made by high-pressure-high-temperature （HPHT） sintering with the aim of maximizing the thermal conductivity of the composites. Improvements in interfacial bonding strength and thermo-physical properties of the composites were achieved using an atomized copper alloy with minor additions of Co, Cr, 13, and Ti. The thermal conductivity （TC） oh- mined exhibited as high as 688 W.m-1.K-1, but also as low as 325 W.m-1.K-l. A large variation in TC can be rationalized by the discrepancy of diamond-matrix interfacial bonding. It was found from fractography that preferential bonding between diamond and the Cu-alloy matrix occurred only on the diamond {100} faces. EDS analysis and Raman spectra suggested that selective interfacial bonding may be attributed to amorphous carbon increasing the wettability between diamond and the Cu-alloy matrix. Amorphous carbon was found to significantly affect the TC of the composite by interface modification.

Effect of sintering parameters on the microstructure and thermal conductivity of diamond/Cu composites prepared by high pressure and high temperature infiltration

Pure Cu composites reinforced with diamond particles were fabricated by a high pressure and high temperature （HPHT） infiltration technique. Their microstructural evolution and thermal conductivity were presented as a function of sintering parameters （temperature, pressure, and time）. The improvement in interfacial bonding strength and the maximum thermM conductivity of 750 W/（m.K） were achieved at the optimal sintering parameters of 1200℃, 6 GPa and 10 min. It is found that the thermal conductivity of the composites depends strongly on sintering pressure. When the sintering pressure is above 6 GPa, the diamond skeleton is detected, which greatly contributes to the excellent thermal conductivity.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of twin-wire arc sprayed Ni-Al composite coatings on 6061-T6 aluminum alloy sheet

We have systematically studied the microstructure and mechanical properties of Ni-5wt%Al and Ni-20wt%Al composite coat- ings fabricated on 6061-T6 aluminum alloy sheet by twin-wire arc spraying under different experimental conditions. The abrasive wear be- havior and interface diffusion behavior of the composite coatings were evaluated by dry/wet rubber wheel abrasive wear tests and heat treat- ment, respectively. Experimental results indicate that the composite coatings exhibit features of adhesive wear. Besides, the Vickers micro- hardness of NiA1 and Ni3AI intermetallic compounds is relatively larger than that of the substrate, which is beneficial for enhancing the wear resistance. With the increase of annealing temperature and time, the interface diffusion area between the Ni-Al coating and the substrate gradually expands with the formation of NiAl3 and Ni2Al3 phases, and is controlled by diffusion of aluminum atoms. The grain growth ex- ponent n of diffusion kinetics of the Ni-Al coating, calculated via a high-temperature diffusion model at 400, 480, and 550℃, is between 0.28 and 0.38. This satisfies the cubic law, which is consistent with the general theoretical relationship of high-temperature diffusion.

A review of particulate-reinforced aluminum matrix composites fabricated by selective laser melting

Selective laser melting(SLM)is an emerging layer-wise additive manufacturing technique that can generate complex components with high performance.Particulate-reinforced aluminum matrix composites(PAMCs)are important materials for various applications due to the combined properties of Al matrix and reinforcements.Considering the advantages of SLM technology and PAMCs,the novel SLM PAMCs have been developed and researched in recent years.Therefore,the current research progress about the SLM PAMCs is reviewed.Firstly,special attention is paid to the solidification behavior of SLM PAMCs.Secondly,the important issues about the design and fabrication of high-performance SLM PAMCs,including the selection of reinforcement,the influence of parameters on the processing and microstructure,the defect evolution and phase control,are highlighted and discussed comprehensively.Thirdly,the performance and strengthening mechanism of SLM PAMCs are systematically figured out.Finally,future directions are pointed out on the advancement of high-performance SLM PAMCs.