Comparative Study of Tensile Properties of Cast and Hot Forged Alumina Nanoparticle Reinforced Composites

Authors: S. Ghanaraja, Subrata Ray, S. K. Nath

Abstract:

Particle reinforced Metal Matrix Composite (MMC) succeeds in synergizing the metallic matrix with ceramic particle reinforcements to result in improved strength, particularly at elevated temperatures, but adversely it affects the ductility of the matrix because of agglomeration and porosity. The present study investigates the outcome of tensile properties in a cast and hot forged composite reinforced simultaneously with coarse and fine particles. Nano-sized alumina particles have been generated by milling mixture of aluminum and manganese dioxide powders. Milled particles after drying are added to molten metal and the resulting slurry is cast. The microstructure of the composites shows good distribution of both the size categories of particles without significant clustering. The presence of nanoparticles along with coarser particles in a composite improves both strength and ductility considerably. Delay in debonding of coarser particles to higher stress is due to reduced mismatch in extension caused by increased strain hardening in presence of the nanoparticles. However, higher addition of powder mix beyond a limit results in deterioration of mechanical properties, possibly due to clustering of nanoparticles. The porosity in cast composite generally increases with the increasing addition of powder mix as observed during process and on forging it has got reduced. The base alloy and nanocomposites show improvement in flow stress which could be attributed to lowering of porosity and grain refinement as a consequence of forging.

Keywords: Aluminum, alumina, nanoparticle reinforced composites, porosity.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI): doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1124489

References:

[1] C. Suryanarayana, “Mechanical Alloying and Milling”, Progress in Materials Science, 2001, 46, pp. 1-184.
[2] C. Suryanarayana, “Mechanical Alloying and Milling”. Marcel Dekker, New York, 2004, pp. 15-30.
[3] K. Akio, O. Atsushi, K. Toshiro and T. Hiroyuki, “Fabrication Process of Metal Matrix Composite with Nano-size SiC Particle Produced by Vortex Method”, J. Jpn. Inst. Light Met. Vol. 49, 1999, pp.149–154.
[4] S. Ray, “Review synthesis of cast metal matrix particulate composites”, J. of Mater. Sci., Vol. 28, 1993, pp. 5397-5413.
[5] H. Friedrich and S. Schumann, “Research for a new age of magnesium in the automotive industry”, J. Mater. Process. Technol., Vol. 117, 2001, pp. 276-281.
[6] P. K. Ghosh and S. Ray, “Effect of porosity and alumina content on the mechanical properties of compocast aluminium alloy-alumina particulate composite” J. Mater. Sci., Vol. 21, 1986, pp. 1667-1674.
[7] P. K. Rohatgi, S. Ray, R. Asthama and C. S. Narendranath, “Interfaces in cast metal-matrix composites”, Materials Sc. & Engg., Vol. A162, 1993, pp. 163-174.
[8] D. J. Liyod, “Particle reinforced aluminium and magnesium matrix composites”, Int. Mater. Rev., Vol. 39, 1994, No. 1, pp. 1-23.
[9] P. K. Rohatgi, R. Asthana, R. N. Yadav and S. Ray, “Energetics of particle transfer from gas to liquid during solidification processing of composites”, Metall. Trans. A., Vol. 21A, 1990, pp. 2073-2082.
[10] A. K. Kuruvilla, V.V. Bhanuprasad, K. S. Prasad and Y. R. Mahajan, “Effect of different reinforcements on composite-strengthening in aluminium”, Bull. Mater. Sci., Vol. 12, No.5, 1989, pp. 495-505.
[11] A. H. Abdulhaqq, P. K. Ghosh, S. C. Jain and S. Ray, “Processing, microstructure and mechanical properties of cast in-situ Al (Mg,Mn)-Al2O3(MnO2) composite”, Metall. and Mater. Trans., Vol. 36A, 2005, pp. 2211-2223.
[12] Yong Yang, Jie Lan and Xiaochun Li, “Study on bulk aluminum matrix nano-composite fabricated by ultrasonic dispersion of nano-sized SiC particles in molten aluminum alloy”, Materials Science and Engineering A, Vol. 380, 2004, pp. 378-383.
[13] Jie Lan., Yong Yang. and Xiaochun Li., “Microstructure and microhardness of SiC nanoparticles reinforced magnesium composites fabricated by ultrasonic method”, Materials Science and Engineering, Vol.A 386, 2004, pp.284–290.
[14] S. Mula, P. Padhi, S. C. Panigrahi, S. K. Pabi, S. Ghosh, “On structure and mechanical properties of ultrasonically cast Al–2% Al2O3 Nano-composite”, Materials Research Bulletin, Vol.44, 2009, pp.1154–1160.
[15] Padhi, Payodhar, S. C. Panigrahi and Ghosh, Sudipto., “A New Method for Preparation of Metal Matrix Nanocomposites”, Mesasocopic, Nanoscopic and Macroscopic Materials, American Institute of Physics, AIP Conference Proceedings, Volume 1063, 2008, pp. 371-375.
[16] L. Ceschini, G. Minak and A. Morri, “Forging of the AA2618/20 vol.% Al2O3 p Composite Effect on microstructure and tensile Properties”, Composite Science and Technology, Vol.69, 2008, pp.1783–1789.
[17] Ozdemir Ismail, Cocen Umit and Onel Kazim, “The effect of forging on the properties of particulate-SiC-reinforced aluminium alloy composite”, Composites Science and Technology, Vol. 60, 2000, pp. 411-419.
[18] A. H. Abdulhaqq, P. K. Ghosh, S. C. Jain and S. Ray, “Processing, Microstructure, and Mechanical Properties of Cast In-Situ Al (Mg,Mn)-Al2O3(MnO2) Composite”, Metall. and Mater. Trans., Vol. 36A, 2005, pp. 2211-2223.
[19] P. K. Ghosh and S. Ray, “Influence of process parameters on the porosity content in Al (Mg)- Al2O3 cast particulate composite produced by vortex method”, AFS Trans., Vol. 214, 1988, pp. 775-78.
[20] P. K. Ghosh, P. R. Prasad and S. Ray, “Effect of porosity on the strength of particulate composites”, Z. Metallkde., Vol.75, 1984, pp. 934-939.