Metal-Matrix Composites: Advances in Processing, Characterization, Performance and Analysis: Aluminum Metal Matrix Composites
Sponsored by: TMS Structural Materials Division, TMS: Composite Materials Committee
Program Organizers: Srivatsan Tirumalai; Pradeep Rohatgi, University of Wisconsin; Simona Hunyadi Murph, Savannah River National Laboratory
Monday 8:30 AM
February 28, 2022
Room: 256B
Location: Anaheim Convention Center
Session Chair: Tirumalai S Srivatsan, The University of Akron
8:30 AM Invited
The Abrasive Wear Behavior of an In-situ Processed Aluminum Alloy Metal Matrix Composites: Srivatsan Tirumalai1; Jimmy Karloopia2; Shaik Mozammil2; Pradeep Jha2; 1The University of Akron; 2Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee
Aluminium-silicon alloy reinforced with titanium diboride particulates can be considered to be an advanced material that is capable of selection and use in both performance-critical and non-performance critical applications. The exothermic reaction that occurs between the hexafluoro titanate (K2TiF6) and potassium borofluoride (KBF4) salts and the molten aluminium-silicon alloy results in the precipitation of fine TiB2 particulates as the reinforcing phase for the metal matrix. Test specimens were prepared by varying the volume fraction of the reinforcing TiB2 particulates in the chosen aluminium alloy metal matrix. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy was conducted to confirm the presence of titanium and boron in the microstructure. Microstructural investigations of the as-processed composite specimens revealed a near uniform distribution of the reinforcing through the chosen metal matrix. The dry sliding wear behaviour of the engineered composites were studied using a pin-on-disc tribometer. Both weight loss and wear rate were precision determined for various conditions
8:55 AM
A Comparative Study of Carbon Nanotubes and Graphene Nanoplatelets on Structure-property Relationship of Aluminium Matrix Composites Synthesized by Spark Plasma Sintering: Mahmood Khan1; Muhammad Shahzad2; Muhammad Basit3; Rafi Din2; Shahid Akhtar4; Syed Wilayat Husain3; Ragnhild Aune1; 1Norwegian University of Science and Technology; 2Pakistan Institute of Science and Technology; 3Institute of Space Technology (IST); 4Hydro Aluminium AS
The fabrication of aluminium matrix composites with lightweight nano-reinforcements has proven to be very attractive due to their superior properties. In the present study, Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) and Graphene Nanoplatelets (GNPs) have been incorporated into an aluminium matrix using the Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) process. Composite samples with varying wt.% of CNTs and GNP (0.1-0.5 wt.%) were prepared and the effect on the mechanical properties investigated. The microstructural evolution and the yield strength of each sample were evaluated and compared with neat reference samples. It was established that the CNTs reinforced nanocomposites exhibited a relatively higher yield strength than the GNP reinforced. An improvement by 13% and 18% respectively for additions of 0.5 wt.% CNTs was found. Based on the results, the presence of a 2-D planer geometry is modelled and discussed in view of its ability to enables a more efficient network at low wt.% of the fillers.
9:15 AM Invited
Application of Triboinformatics Approach in Tribological Studies of Aluminum Alloys and Aluminum/Graphite Metal Matrix Composites: Md Syam Hasan1; Amir Kordijazi2; Pradeep Rohatgi1; Michael Nosonovsky1; 1University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee; 2SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Aluminum/Graphite (Al/Gr) metal matrix composites (MMC) have shown reduced friction, wear, and resistance to seizure. Triboinformatics or the data-driven approach is promising in predicting the tribological behavior of metal alloys and metal matrix composites (MMC). Five Machine Learning (ML) models: Artificial Neural Network (ANN), K Nearest Neighbor (KNN), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Gradient Boosting Machine (GBM), and Random Forest (RF) have been applied to predict the coefficient of friction (COF) and wear rate of aluminum (Al) alloys and Aluminum/Graphite MMCs using material and tribological variables. The performance metrics indicate that the graphite incorporation as a solid lubricant makes the friction and wear behavior more consistent and predictable. Feature importance analysis shows that graphite content is the most significant variable in both wear rate and COF prediction of Aluminum/Graphite composites while tribological variables are found significant for aluminum alloys. Additionally, material hardness is found important in friction and wear prediction for both aluminum alloys and Aluminum/Graphite MMCs.
9:40 AM Invited
Interfacial Structure and Mechanical Properties of 6082 Al Matrix Composites Reinforced with Al-Cu-Fe Quasicrystalline: Yagnesh Shadangi1; Vikas Shivam2; Joysurya Basu1; Kausik Chattopadhyay1; Nilay Mukhopadhyay1; 1IIT BHU; 2IIT Ropar
In the present investigation efforts were made to investigate the Al matrix composite reinforced with varying fraction (upto 40 vol%) of Al-Cu-Fe quasicrystals (QC) processed by mechanical milling and spark plasma sintering (SPS) for possible development as light metal composite alloys. The Al-QC nanocomposites have QC phase along with crystalline Al13Fe4 phase formed due to partial transformation of QC during milling. The milled Al-QC nanocomposite powders were sintered at temperature of 300℃ and 550℃ with a holding pressure of 500 MPa and 50 MPa respectively. The sintering temperature and pressure are found to influence phase transformation at the interfaces of Al-QC composites. Attempts are made to evaluate indentation behaviour and compressive strength of Al-QC composites. The detailed analysis will be made to understand the interface characteristics and processing effects on mechanical properties with an aim at exploring the possibility of developing as light metal composite materials.
10:05 AM Break
10:20 AM
Mechanical Alloying of Feedstock Powder for Selective Laser Melting: Aluminum Alloy Matrix Composites: Ethan Parsons1; 1Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Ceramic-reinforced metal matrix composites (MMCs) are attractive materials for high-value defense and commercial components, but fabrication with MMCs is presently difficult, costly, and limited to components with simple geometries. Additively manufacturing particulate MMCs with selective laser melting (SLM) would be an ideal method, but the laser consolidation of these materials has been largely unsuccessful in matching the properties of conventionally produced MMCs. The challenges include spreading the heterogeneous powder, distributing the ceramic particles, and forming a strong bond between the metal and the ceramic. Here, we use mechanical alloying to fabricate composite powders with morphology tuned for SLM process conditions. Using SLM, we achieve nearly fully dense consolidation of these powders and thereby demonstrate the potential for MMC feedstock powders to be produced with scalable, cost-effective methods.
10:40 AM Invited
Recent Advances in Aluminium-based Hybrid Metal Matrix Composites: A Review: Sudhir Ranjan1; Jimmy Karloopia1; Pradeep Jha1; 1Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee
In today's technological and scientific era, new generation materials are intended to achieve the demands of several engineering industries. Aluminum-based hybrid metal matrix composites have tremendous potential and can be used for many technical applications that can meet the growing need for enhanced properties such as better toughness, corrosion resistance, and high strength. Aluminum MMCs are extensively used for various applications in the automotive, aircraft, and marine industries due to their high strength-to-weight ratio, better toughness, high wear resistance, and hardness. This literature review highlights the various aspects pertinent to hybrid reinforcement in composites where aluminum was employed as the integral matrix material. The comparison between various reinforcements, such as nitrides, borides, carbides, oxides, etc., have been evaluated, aiming to climaxes the properties and obtain the best results for diverse technical applications. The hybrid Al-MMCs future capabilities and scope are also covered at the conclusion of this article.
11:05 AM
Role of Ultrasonic Cavitation on Microstructure, Bulk Mechanical and Tribological Behavior of 2D Tungsten Disulfide Reinforced Aluminum Matrix Composites: Tanaji Paul1; Ana Exime1; Riddhiben Joshi1; Cheng Zhang1; Benjiamin Boesl1; Arvind Agarwal1; 1Florida International University
A dearth of understanding of the role of ultrasonic treatment parameters on the microstructure, mechanical and tribological properties of 2D material reinforced metal matrix composites severely obstructs the advancement of this technology. This paper presents an analysis of the effect of treatment time on grain refinement, nucleation density, dispersion, and wear resistance of ultrasonic cast 2D tungsten disulfide reinforced aluminum matrix composites. Localized elastic moduli as a function of microstructural features, obtained from nanoindentation is integrated with finite element modelling to compute bulk mechanical properties of these composites. These computations are validated against experimentally measured distributions of elastic moduli of these composites. A comparative evaluation of bulk elastic moduli obtained by three approaches, namely theoretical calculations, microstructural finite element modelling and dynamic mechanical analysis enabled a comprehensive understanding of the processing-microstructure-property correlations in these materials. This constitutes a major step towards the advancement of ultrasonic treatment assisted casting technology.
11:25 AM Invited
The Damping Capacity and Sliding Wear Behavior of an Aluminum Alloy Metal Matrix Composite: Role of Reinforcement
: Kedarnath Rane1; Narendra Dhokey2; Srivatsan Tirumalai3; 1National Manufacturing Institute Scotland; 2College of Engineering; 3The University of Akron
In this energetically enunciated presentation the salient aspects of an aluminium alloy reinforced with particulates of titanium diboride (TiB2) will be highlighted. Salient aspects specific to measurement of damping capacity using experimental modal analysis will be detailed. The tribological behaviour of the engineered aluminium alloy metal matrix composite and the role and contribution of different sliding variables was established through pin-on-disc tests. The damping capacity of the TiB2 particulate-reinforced aluminium alloy revealed an observable improvement over the as-cast counterpart and comparable to grey cast iron. The intricacies specific to tribological behaviour of the engineered aluminium alloy composite was established with respect to microscopic segregation of the particulate reinforcement (TiB2) coupled with the role of test parameters. The fundamental strengthening and damping mechanism governing behaviour of the chosen composite will be elucidated in light of the conjoint and mutually interactive influences of reinforcement agglomeration, nature of loading and interfacial bonding.