Mechanical Properties of Aluminium Metal Matrix Nanocomposites Manufactured by Assisted-Flake Powder Thixoforming Process

This study discusses the superior effect of thixoforming process on enhancing the tensile properties of aluminium matrix composite produced using flake metallurgy route. The flake metallurgy process was utilised to manufacture aluminium matrix composites followed by thixoforming process. Microstructural investigations carried out using transmission electron microscope have shown the synergic effect of thixoforming process on rendering uniform distribution of SiC nanoparticles associated with lower porosity content. X-ray diffraction characterisations have revealed the promising effect of uniform dispersion of SiC nanoparticles on restricting the grain growth of aluminium matrix within nanoscale regime (90 nm) even at high semi-solid thixoforming temperatures (575 °C). The achieved results of tensile tests have shown a profound effect of flake metallurgy of aluminium powder through dual speed ball milling. These results are higher than those achieved by low speed and high speed even with higher SiC content. This was attributed to the uniform confinement of SiC nanoparticles within the samples produced using flake-assisted forming process compared to the ones manufactured using ball milling-assisted processes

Frictional Behavior and Mechanical Performance of Al Reinforced with SiC via Novel Flake Powder Metallurgy

This paper targets developing new low-cost sustainable materials. To achieve this objective, aluminum was utilized as base material for metal matrix nanocomposites (MMNC). Three routes of advanced manufacturing techniques were designed and implemented. Flake powder metallurgy as a reliable method to synthesis nanocomposites powder was employed. By reinforcing aluminium with SiC and using a similar amount of both constitutes, three metal matrix nanocomposites (MMNCs) with different properties were produced. The ball milled powder were characterized using filed emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) to analyze the morphology of the powder. Different investigations and analysis were conducted on the produced samples. These include X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, density and porosity, mechanical properties, and frictional performance. The obtained results include relative density, Young’s modulus, compressive yield strength, elongation, toughness, hardness, coefficient of friction, and specific wear rate. Achieving superior mechanical and tribological performance is evident from these results. This is accredited to the homogeneity of the reinforcement dispersion within the aluminum matrix

Regulating Mechanical Properties of Al/SiC by Utilizing Different Ball Milling Speeds

Advanced materials with high strength are in great demand for structural applications, such as in aerospace. It has been proved that fabrication strategy plays a vital role in producing composites to satisfy these needs. This study explores new strategies for flake powder metallurgy, with the aim of designing an effective strategy to achieve the highest possible mechanical strength for a metal matrix nanocomposite without changing the reinforcement fraction. Different strategies were used to regulate the mechanical properties for similar composites based on shift speed ball milling. Ultra-ductile composites on one hand, and ultra-strong composites on the other hand, were fabricated using similar composites. The results demonstrate that shifting the ball milling speed can be used to manipulate the mechanical properties of the composite to achieve the desired properties for any specific application

Mechanical Properties of Aluminium Metal Matrix Nanocomposites Manufactured by Assisted-Flake Powder Thixoforming Process

Abstract: This study discusses the superior effect of thixoforming process on enhancing the tensile properties of aluminium matrix composite produced using flake metallurgy route. The flake metallurgy process was utilised to manufacture aluminium matrix composites followed by thixoforming process. Microstructural investigations carried out using transmission electron microscope have shown the synergic effect of thixoforming process on rendering uniform distribution of SiC nanoparticles associated with lower porosity content. X-ray diffraction characterisations have revealed the promising effect of uniform dispersion of SiC nanoparticles on restricting the grain growth of aluminium matrix within nanoscale regime (90 nm) even at high semi-solid thixoforming temperatures (575 °C). The achieved results of tensile tests have shown a profound effect of flake metallurgy of aluminium powder through dual speed ball milling. These results are higher than those achieved by low speed and high speed even with higher SiC content. This was attributed to the uniform confinement of SiC nanoparticles within the samples produced using flake-assisted forming process compared to the ones manufactured using ball milling-assisted processes. Graphic abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Balanced Mechanical and Tribological Performance of High-Frequency-Sintered Al-SiC Achieved via Innovative Milling Route—Experimental and Theoretical Study

In this study, Al-SiC nanocomposite was fabricated via powder metallurgy route using different innovative high-energy ball-milling techniques (HEBM). The powder mixture was consolidated using high-frequency induction heat sintering process (HFIHS). With the aim of studying the physical, mechanical, and tribological performance of the fabricated nanocomposites. Relative density, hardness, compressive yield strength, Young’s modulus, toughness, elongation, specific wear rate and coefficient of friction were experimentally investigated. A finite element model for the frictional process was built to find out the distribution of contact stresses as result of samples sliding. It was found that the highest the energy of the milling, the more improvement in the mechanical and tribological performance could significantly achieved due to the homogeneous distribution and the excellent bonding effect of the composite. In addition, field emission scanning electron microscope was used for studying the sliding surface morphology in order to explicate the mechanism of the dry wear process

Influence of Milling Route on the Corrosion Passivation of Al-2%SiC Nanocomposites in Chloride Solutions

In this work, the fabrication of three Al-2wt.% SiC nanocomposites processed by novel milling route was carried out. The beneficial influence of milling route on the corrosion passivation of the new fabricated composites was investigated. The cyclic polarization measurements have proved that increasing the time of ball milling highly reduced the corrosion of Al-SiC nanocomposite via reducing obtained corrosion current and so increasing the corrosion resistance. These results were affirmed by the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy experiments. The pitting corrosion of the manufactured composites was also reported, and its intensity decreased with the increase of ball milling time. The electrochemical experiments were also performed after expanding the exposure time in the chloride solution to 24 and 48. It was found that both the uniform and pitting corrosion decrease with prolonging the time. The study was complemented by examining the surface morphology and the elemental analyses for the different composites by using surface analyses techniques