No description available.

Metal Matrix Composites (MMC) offer several thermo-mechanical advantages over standard materials and alloys which make them better candidates in different applications. Their light weight, high stiffness, and strength have attracted several industries such as automotive, aerospace, and defence for their wide range of products. However, the wide spread application of Meal Matrix Composites is still a challenge for industry. The hard and abrasive nature of the reinforcement particles is responsible for rapid tool wear and high machining costs. Fracture and debonding of the abrasive reinforcement particles are the considerable damage modes that directly influence the tool performance. It is very important to find highly effective way to machine MMCs. So, it is important to predict forces when machining Metal Matrix Composites because this will help to choose perfect tools for machining and ultimately save both money and time. This research presents an analytical force model for predicting the forces generated during machining of Metal Matrix Composites. In estimating the generated forces, several aspects of cutting mechanics were considered including: shearing force, ploughing force, and particle fracture force. Chip formation force was obtained by classical orthogonal metal cutting mechanics and the Johnson-Cook Equation. The ploughing force was formulated while the fracture force was calculated from the slip line field theory and the Griffith theory of failure. The predicted results were compared with previously measured data. The results showed very good agreement between the theoretically predicted and experimentally measured cutting forces. / UOIT

Welding of metal matrix composites (MMCs) is an alternative to their mechanical joining, since they are difficult to machine. Published literature in fusion welding of similar composites shows metallurgical problems. This study investigates the weldability of A359/SiC/10p aluminum SiC MMC. Statistical experiments were performed to identify the significant variables and their effects on the hardness, tensile and bending strengths, ductility, and microstructure of the weld. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) was used to predict the preheat temperature field across the weld and the weld pool temperature. Welding current, welding speed, and the preheat temperature (300-350??C) affected the weld quality significantly. It was seen that the fracture of the welded specimens was either in the base MMC or in the weld indicating a stronger interface between the weld and the base MMC. Oxides formation was controlled along the weld joint. Low heat inputs provided higher weld strengths and better weld integrity. It was found that the weld strengths were approximately 85% of the parent material strength. The weld region had higher extent of uniform mixing of base and filler metal when welded at low currents and high welding speeds. These adequate thermal conditions helped the SiC particles to stay in the central weld region. The interface reaction between the matrix and SiC particles was hindered due to controlled heat inputs and formation of harmful Al4C3 flakes was suppressed. The hardness values were found to be slightly higher in the base metal rich region. There was no significant loss in the hardness of the heat affected zone. The ductility of the weld was considerably increased to 6.0-7.0% due to the addition of Al-Si filler metal.

No description available.

The term "Metal Matrix Nano-Composites (MMNCs)" broadly refers to a composite system that is based on metal or alloy substrate, combined with metallic or non-metallic nano-scale reinforcements. The main advantages of MMNCs include excellent mechanical performance, feasible to be used at elevated temperatures, good wear resistance, low creep rate, etc. In the recent past, MMNCs have been extensively studied, especially the method of fabrication as the processing of such composites is quite a challenge. Though a variety of processing methods have been explored and studied over the years, none have emerged as the optimum-processing route. The major issue that needs to be addressed is the tendency of nano-sized particles to cluster and also the challenge as to how to disperse them in the bulk melt. This work explored the feasibility of utilizing Lorentz forces to address both of these critical issues: clustering and dispersion. The work was carried out both theoretically as well as with accompanying validation experiments. The results indicate that Lorentz Forces may be viable and should be considered in the processing of MMNCs.

Monolithic composites are needed that combine low friction and wear, high mechanical hardness, and high fracture toughness. Thin films and coatings are often unable to meet this engineering challenge as they can delaminate and fracture during operation ceasing to provide beneficial properties during service life. Two material systems were synthesized by spark plasma sintering (SPS) and were studied for their ability to meet these criteria. A dual hybrid composite was fabricated and consisted of a nickel matrix for fracture toughness, TiC for hardness and graphite for solid/self‐lubrication. An in‐situ reaction during processing resulted in the formation of TiC from elemental Ti and C powders. The composition was varied to determine its effects on tribological behavior. Stellite 21, a cobalt‐chrome‐molybdenum alloy, was also produced by SPS. Stellite 21 has low stacking fault energy and a hexagonal phase which forms during sliding that both contribute to low interfacial shear and friction. Samples were investigated by x‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive x‐ray spectroscopy (EDS), and electron back‐scattered diffraction (EBSD). Tribological properties were characterized by pin on disc tribometry and wear rates were determined by profilometry and abrasion testing. Solid/self‐lubrication in the TiC/C/Ni system was investigated by Raman and Auger mapping. A tribofilm, which undergoes a stress‐induced phase transformation from polycrystalline graphite to amorphous carbon, was formed during sliding in the TiC/C/Ni system that is responsible for low friction and wear. TiC additions help to further decrease wear. Stellite 21 was also found to exhibit acceptably low friction and wear properties arising from the presence of Cr23C6 in the matrix and work hardening of the cobalt and chromium during sliding.

Accumulative roll bonding was adapted to fabricate a carbon nanotube reinforced aluminum matrix composite. The microstructure was investigated by transmission electron microscopy, and it was confirmed that the nanotubes were embedded into the metal matrix while maintaining their multiwalled structure. Measurements revealed that the as-received carbon nanotubes had a bimodal diameter size distribution, while only nanotubes with diameters >30 nm and more than 30 walls were retained during four consecutive rolling operations at 50% reduction. The elastic deflection and vibration damping properties of the laminated composite were investigated by cantilever bending test and by impulse excitation method in samples with different concentrations of carbon nanotubes. Measurements by both methods revealed that a 0.23wt% concentration of nanotubes increased the elastic modulus according to the rule of mixtures and the damping behavior of the composites increased by the addition of nanotubes up to 0.1wt%. / Materials Engineering

In this study, a novel technique was used to produce aluminum based in situ composites from powder mixtures of Al and CeO2. This technique has combined hot working nature of friction stir processing (FSP) and exothermic reaction between Al and oxide. Billet of powder mixtures was prepared by the use of conventional pressing and sintering route. The sintered billet was then subjected to multiple passages of friction stir processing (FSP). The microstructure was characterized by the use of TEM, SEM and XRD. The reinforcing phases were identified as Al11Ce3 and £_*-Al2O3. The Al2O3 particles with an average size of ~10 nm are uniformly distributed in the aluminum matrix, which has an average grain size about 390-500 nm. The analysis of TEM indicated that these Al2O3 particles exhibit crystallographic orientation relationship with the aluminum matrix, i.e., (223)£_*-Al2O3//(111)Al and [1-10]£_*-Al2O3 roughly parallel to [1-10]Al. The precipitates of Al2O3 exhibiting crystallographic orientation relationship with the aluminum clearly indicates that they were formed from solid state precipitation. Apparently, significant supersaturation of oxygen in aluminum had been created in FSP, and nanometric Al2O3 particles were then precipitated uniformly in the aluminum matrix. This study shows that both sintering temperature and the tool traversing speed used in FSP have significant influence on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the composite. The composites produced exhibit high strength both at ambient and elevated temperatures. For example, the composite produced by 833K sintering followed by FSP with tool traversing speed of 30 mm/min possesses enhanced modulus (E = 109 GPa) and strength (UTS = 488 MPa) as well as a tensile ductility of ~3%. The major contributions to the high strength of the composite are the submicrometer grain structure of aluminum matrix and the Orowan strengthening caused by the fine dispersion of nanometer size Al2O3 particles inside aluminum grains. In addition, the composite also exhibits high strength at elevated temperatures up to 773 K. The good thermal stability and high temperature strength of the composite may be attributed to the uniform dispersion of nanometric Al2O3 particles, which are very stable at elevated temperatures.

Advanced aluminum graphite composites have unique thermal properties due to opposing coefficients of thermal expansion of aluminum and graphite. The thermal and mechanical properties of such composites are anisotropic due to directional properties of graphite fibers and their designed orientation. A joint with different fiber orientations would theoretically produce an isotropic material for thermal management. This paper presents results for welding and brazing of the composite using different joining techniques. Laser welding of Al-Gr composite showed that a power density above 30kW/mm2 gives a weld with microstructure defects. Also the laser beam melts the matrix and delaminates the graphite fibers. The molten aluminum reacts with graphite to form aluminum carbide (Al4C3). The joint strength is compromised when laser welding at optimal conditions to minimize the carbide formation. Also porosity and redistribution of graphite fibers is seen during laser welding. These defects prompt us to consider a low temperature joining. Brazing is considered since the low melting temperature of a filler material suppresses the formation of Al4C3 while minimizing pores and microstructural defects in the joint. Microstructural study and shear test are performed to analyze the joints. Shear strengths of brazed joints are determined to be 20-21MPa which is comparable to the composite shear strength (46.5MPa in x-y plane and 19MPa in z plane). The fracture surface is found to be mostly on the composite rather than in brazed material or along the interface. Also, the microstructural study showed no Al4C3 formation and minimal porosity in the brazed region. These results show a successful joining of the composite using laser brazing and resistance brazing methods.

A systematic method for quantitative characterisation of the topological properties of two-phase materials has been developed, which offers an effective way for the characterisation of twophase materials. In particular, a topological transformation has been proposed, which allows a two-phase microstructure with any grain size, grain shape and phase distribution to be transformed into a three-microstructural-element body (3-E body). It has been shown that the transformed 3·E body is mechanically equivalent along the aligned direction with the original microstructure. The Hall·Petch relation developed originally for single-phase metals and alloys has been successfully extended to two~ductile-phase alloys. It has been shown that the extended Hall- Petch relation can separate the individual contribution to the overall efficiency of different kinds of boundaries as obstacles to dislocation motion. A new approach to deformation behaviour of two-ductile-phase alloys has been developed based on Eshelby's continuum transformation theory and the microstructural characterisation developed in this thesis. In contrast to the existing theories of plastic deformation, this approach can consider the effect of microstructural parameters, such as volume fraction, grain size, grain shape and phase distribution. In particular, the interactions between particles of the same phase have also been taken into account by the topological transformation. Consequently, the newly developed theory can be applied in principle to a composite with any volume fraction. This approach has been applied to various two-ductile-phase alloys to predict the true stress·true strain curves, the internal stresses and the in situ stress and plastic strain distribution in each microstructural element. It is found that the theoretical predictions are in very good agreement with the experimental results drawn from the literature. A new approach has also been developed for the prediction of the Young's moduli of particulate two-phase composites. Applications of this approach to AVSiCp and Co/WCp composite systems and polymeric matrix composites have shown that the present approach is superior to both the Hashin and Shtrikman's bounds and the mean field theory in terms of the good agreement between the theoretical predictions and the experimental results from the literature. Furthermore, this approach can be extended to predict the Young's moduli of multiphase composites by iteration. This iteration approach has been tested on some Ti-6Al- 4V-TiB composites. An experimental investigation has being carried out to study the in situ Ti-6AI-4V-TiB (hereafter, Ti/TiB is used for convenience) metal matrix composites produced through a rapid solidification route. Production of in situ Ti/fiB metal matrix composites through rapid solidification route can completely exclude problems such as wetting and chemical reaction encountered by alternative production routes. The relevant microstructural phenomena in in situ Ti/TiB metal matrix composites, such as the growth habit of TiB phase and the w-phase transformation, have also been investigated. The TiB phase in the consolidated composites exhibits two distinguished morphologies: needle-shaped TiB and nearly equiaxed TiB. The needle-shaped TiB phase formed mainly from the solidification process always grows along the [010] direction of the B27 unit cell, leaving the cross-section of the needles consistently enclosed either by (100) and {101 1 type planes or by (100) and {102l type planes. It is also found that the cross-sections of the nearlyequiaxed TiB particles formed from the B supersaturated Ti solid solution are also bounded by the same planes as above, although the growth rate along the [010] direction has been considerably reduced. Experiments have also been perfonned to investigate the effect of pre-hipping heat treatments on the microstructure of RS products. It is found that pre-hipping heat treatments at a temperature below 800°C can lead to the precipitation of fine equiaxed TiB particles from the B super-saturated Ti solid solution, which are uniformly distributed throughout the a+B matrix. The majority of those TiB precipitates do not grow up by Ostwald ripening process after long time exposure at higher temperature. Microstructural examination has confirmed the existence of a B to w transformation in RS Ti- 6AI-4V alloys with and without B addition after consolidation. In addition, the B to w transformation has also been observed in RS Ti-Mn-B alloys after consolidation. Systematic electron diffraction work on the B-phase offers a strong experimental evidence for the B to W transformation mechanism proposed by Williams et al.