A Ni/TiC/C metal matrix composite (MMC) has been processed using the laser engineered net shaping (LENS) process from commercially available powders with a Ni-3Ti-20C (atomic %) composition. This processing route produces the in-situ formation of homogeneously distributed eutectic and primary titanium carbide and graphite precipitates throughout the Ni matrix. The composite exhibits promising tribological properties when tested in dry sliding conditions with a low steady state coefficient of friction (CoF) of ~0.1 and lower wear rates in comparison to LENS deposited pure Ni. The as deposited and tribologically worn composite has been characterized using Auger electron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction, high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), dual beam focused ion beam SEM (FIB/SEM) serial sectioning and Vickers micro-hardness testing. The evolution of subsurface stress states and precipitate motion during repeated sliding contact has been investigated using finite element analysis (FEA). The results of FIB/SEM serial sectioning, HRTEM, and Auger electron spectroscopy in conjunction with FEA simulations reveal that the improved tribological behavior is due to the in-situ formation of a low interfacial shear strength amorphous carbon tribofilm that is extruded to the surface via refined Ni grain boundaries.

No description available.

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.

Orientador: Carlos Kiyan / Banca: Aélcio Zangrandi / Banca: Carlos de Moura Neto / Resumo: Este trabalho apresenta o projeto e a construção de um equipamento para a produção de lingotes de compósitos de matriz metálica, com ligas de baixo ponto de fusão, e material de reforço na forma de pó cerâmico. O equipamento pode operar em temperaturas de até 1000 °C e carga de aproximadamente 800 g de metal. Possui um sistema para agitação do metal fundido e a possibilidade de controle dos principais parâmetros, térmicos e mecânicos, do processo de fundição com agitação mecânica. São descritas as diferentes partes do equipamento, e apresentados resultados utilizando a liga Al7%Si com reforço de alumina, sem recobrimento, e em granulações diferentes. A rota utilizada envolve a fusão do metal, seguida pelo seu resfriamento até temperaturas entre as linhas liquidus e solidus, seguida pela mistura da alumina, por determinado tempo, e o reaquecimento para vazamento. O equipamento mostrou-se eficiente na obtenção de compósitos particulados. Os lingotes obtidos foram analisados por microscopia eletrônica de varredura, EDS e microscopia óptica. / Abstract: This work presents the project and construction of an equipment for synthesis of particulated metal matrix composite ingots, with low melting point, and ceramic as reinforcement material, using mechanical stir casting. The equipment can operate in temperatures up to 1000° C and loading of about 800g of metal. It has a system to stir the metal with the possibility of controling the main, thermal and mechanical, parameters of the process. Different parts of the equipament are described and results are presented by using the Al 7% Si alloy, with alumina, without recovering, and with different granulation. The process used was melting the metal followed by its cooling up to temperatures between liquidus and solidus lines, followed by the mixing of alumina and the reheating for pouring . The equipment was efficient in the obtainment of particulated metal matrix composite. The ingots obtained were analysed through electronic microscopy, EDS and optical microscopy. / Mestre

A Local Load Sharing (LLS) model recently developed by Curtin and co-workers for the numerical simulation of tensile stress-strain behavior in fiber-reinforced composites is used to predict the tensile strength of metal matrix composites consisting of a Titanium matrix and unidirectionally aligned SiC fibers. This model is extended to include the effects of free boundary conditions and non-constant load gradients and then used to predict the strength of a Ti-6Al-4V matrix reinforced with Sigma SiC fibers under 4-point flexure testing. The predicted tensile and flexure strengths agree very well with the values measured by Gundel and Wawner and Ramamurty et al. The composite strength of disordered spatial fiber distributions is investigated and is shown to have a distribution similar to the corresponding ordered composite, but with a mean strength that decreases (as compared to the ordered composite) with increasing Weibull modulus. A modified Batdorf-type analytic model is developed and similarly extended to the case of non-uniform loading to predict the strength of composites under tension and flexure. The flexure model is found to be inappropriate for application to the experimental materials, but the tensile model yields predictions similar to the Local Load Sharing models for the experimental materials. The ideas and predictions of the Batdorf-type model, which is essentially an approximation to the simulation model, are then compared in more detail to a simulation-based model developed by Ibnabdeljalil and Curtin to more generally assess the accuracy of the Batdorf model in predicting tensile strength and notch strength versus composite size and fiber Weibull modulus. The study shows the Batdorf model to be accurate for tensile strength at high Weibull moduli and to capture general trends well, but it is not quantitatively accurate over the full range of material parameters encountered in various fiber composite systems. / Master of Science

Automobile and aero industries have an increasing interestin materials with improved mechanical properties. However, manyof these new materials are classified as difficult-to-cut withconventional tools. It is obvious that tools, cutting processesand cutting models has to be devel-oped parallel to materialsscience. In this thesis rotary cutting tools are tested as analternative toexpensive diamond or cubic bore nitridetools. Metal matrix composites mostly consist of a light metalalloy (such as aluminium or titanium) reinforced with hard andabrasive ceramic parti-cles or fibres. On machining, thereinforcement results in a high rate of tool wear. This is themain problem for the machining of MMCs. Many factors affect thelife length of a tool, i.e. matrix alloy, type, size andfraction of the reinforcement, heat treatment, cuttingconditions and tool properties. In tests, the Al-SiC MMC formed a deformation layer duringmilling, probably affected by lack of cooling. The dominatingfactor for tool life was the cutting speed. Water jet or CO2cooling of turning did not provide dramatic increase in toollife. With PCD, cutting speeds up to 2000 m/min were usedwithout machining problems and BUE formation. Tool flank wearwas abrasive and crater wear created an "orange-peel type" wearsurface. PCD inserts did not show the typical increase in flankwear rate at the end of its lifetime. The use of self-propelled rotary tools seems to be apromising way to increase tool life. No BUE was formed on therotary tool at high cutting data. The measurements indicatethat the rotary tool creates twice as good surface as PCDtools. The longest tool life was gained with an inclinationangle of 10 degrees. Tool costs per component will beapproximately the same, but rotary cutting tool allows higherfeeds and therefore a higher production rate and thus a lowerproduction cost. The rotary cutting operation might have a potential toincrease productiv-ity in bar peeling. The lack of BUE withrotary cutting gives hope on higher tool life. The test resultsshow that tool wear was 27% lower with rotary cutting tools.Increase of cutting speed from 22 to 44 m/min did not affectcutting forces. This indicates that the cutting speed canincrease without significant change in tool wear rate. Issues related to rotary cutting like cutting models,cutting processes, standards, tools and models have beendiscussed. A tool wear model with kinetic energy has beendiscussed. KEYWORDS:Difficult-to-Cut material, Metal MatrixComposite (MMC), Machining, Machinability, Rotary Cutting Tool,Acoustic Emission / <p>QCR 20161026</p>

O presente trabalho tem como objetivo o estudo e aproveitamento de cinzas leves da queima de carvão mineral em termoelétrica, como reforço para o Compósito de Matriz Metálica de cobre. Foram estudados diferentes percentuais de cinzas leves como reforço para o cobre, sendo misturados estes pós através de m , compactando os pós em diferentes pressões e sinterizando os corpos de prova obtidos pela compactação. A amostra sinterizada que apresentou a maior dureza entre todos os corpos de prova sinterizados, atingindo 89 HV, foi utilizada como base para a formulação e obtenção de novos corpos de prova, que foram estudados sob condições de moagem dos pós por moinho de bolas e moagem de alta energia. A fabricação do compósito seguiu os padrões industriais do processo de Metalurgia do Pó, como a mistura e moagem dos pós, compactação dos pós e sinterização em atmosfera controlada. Foi realizado o estudo das propriedades físicas e elétricas do compósito formado por cobre e cinzas leves, que comprovou o aumento da dureza para 122 HV, mantendo a condutividade do cobre puro. Este trabalho proporciona uma nova aplicação para as cinzas leves, utilizando estes resíduos de usinas termoelétricas como matéria prima para reforço mecânico na composição de peças à base de cobre, na indústria metalmecânica. / This paper aims to study and use fly ash from coal-fired thermal power plant, as reinforcement for copper Metal Matrix Composite. Different fly ash percentage were studied as reinforcement for copper. The powders were mixed by "Twin V Mixer'', were compacted at different pressures and the compacted samples were sintered. The sintered sample with the highest hardness among all samples reached 89 HV and was used as basis for the formulation and obtaining of new samples, which were studied under controlled conditions of ball milling and mechanical alloying. The manufacture of the composite was made using Powder Metallurgy processes like mixing and milling of powders, compacting of the powders and sintering at controlled atmosphere. A study on the physical and electrical properties of the composite formed by copper and fly ash was carried out proving the hardness increase to 122 HV and maintaining the conductivity of pure copper. This work provides a new application for fly ash using these power plants waste as raw material for mechanical reinforcement in the composition of copper parts in the metalworking industry.

Orientador: Carlos Kiyan / Banca: Messias Borges da Silva / Banca: Luis Rogério de Oliveira Hein / Banca: Olivério Moreira de Macedo Silva / Resumo: O estudo do processamento de compósitos de matriz metálica pelo método de fundição com agitação é de grande interesse em engenharia pelo seu baixo custo e possibilidade de utilizar equipamentos convencionais de fundição. Nesse trabalho é feito o estudo do processo de síntese de compósitos da matriz da liga A356 reforçada com partículas de alumina, focalizando a influência dos fatores de processo na fração de partícula incorporada. Foram sintetizados lingotes de compósitos variando as condições de processo. Foram desenvolvidos métodos específicos de amostragem estatística associados à análise e processamento de imagens e utilizados na obtenção de estimativas confiáveis da fração volumétrica. Para investigar a influência dos fatores e suas interações foi projetado um experimento fatorial com 4 fatores, definidos em ensaios preliminares. Os resultados confirmam achados teóricos e experimentais anteriores e indicam novos caminhos para se obter uma melhor incorporação de partículas, além de um entendimento do mecanismo da molhabilidade da liga no estado semissólido. Compósitos com maior grau de partículas incorporadas foram examinados por microscópio eletrônico de varredura e microscópio óptico, mostrando que a partícula se aloja preferencialmente na região interdendrítica da matriz. / Abstract: The study of metal matrix composite processing through stir casting method is of great interest for engineering because of its low cost and possibility of using conventional casting equipment as well. The synthesis of hypoeutectic A356 matrix alloy reinforced with alumina particle was done in this work focusing the influence of the processing factors on the incorporated particle fraction. Ingots of composites were synthesized by varying the process conditions. Methods of statistic sampling connected to the analysis and processing images were developed and used for reliable estimate of volumetric fraction. To investigate the influence of the factors and their interactions, a factorial experiment was planned with four factors defined in a preliminary test. The results confirm theorical and experimental findings and points to a new way of getting better particle incorporation and an insight of the wettability mechanism. Composites with high level of particle incorporation were checked through electronic and optical microscopes showing that the particle stays mainly in interdendritic regions. / Doutor

Tungsten carbide-based metal matrix composite coatings are deposited by PTAW (Plasma Transferred Arc Welding) on production critical components in oil sands mining. Homogeneous distribution of the reinforcement particles is desirable for optimal wear resistance in order to reduce unplanned maintenance shutdowns. The homogeneity of the coating can be improved by controlling the heat transfer, solidification rate of the process and the volume fraction of carbide. The degree of settling of the particles in the deposit was quantified using image analysis. The volume fraction of carbide was the most significant factor in obtaining a homogeneous coating. Lowering the current made a modest improvement in homogeneity. Changes made in other operational parameters did not effect significant changes in homogeneity. Infrared thermography was used to measure the temperature of the surface of the deposit during the welding process. The emissivity of the materials was required to acquire true temperature readings. The emissivity of the deposit was measured using laser reflectometry and was found to decrease from 0.8 to 0.2 as the temperature increased from 900C to 1200C. A correction algorithm was applied to calculate the actual temperature of the surface of the deposit. The corrected temperature did increase as the heat input of the weld increased. A one dimensional mathematical model of the settling profile and solidification of the coatings was developed. The model considers convective and radiative heat input from the plasma, the build-up of the deposit, solidification of the deposit and the settling of the WC particles within the deposit. The model had very good agreement with the experimental results of the homogeneity of the carbide as a function of depth. This fundamental model was able to accurately predict the particle homogeneity of an MMC deposited by an extremely complicated process. It was shown that the most important variable leading to a homogeneous coating is to operate at the packing saturation limit of the reinforcement. In the case of the MMC explored, a fully homogeneous coating was obtained with 50 vol% WC in a NiCrBSi matrix. / Materials Engineering

TiB2 particle reinforced aluminum matrix composites have been the subject of several investigations. An M.Sc. thesis on production of TiB2 reinforced aluminum composites by reaction between liquid aluminum and B2O3 and TiO2 dissolved in cryolite has been completed in this Department in 2005. This study is a continuation of the mentioned M.Sc.study. Composition of the starting cryolite-B2O3-TiO2 system, temperature and time were used as experimental variables. The resulting composite was squeeze cast and its microstructure was examined. Mechanical properties of the produced composite were measured and how mechanical properties of the composite vary with TiB2 content of the composite was determined.