IDR - IIT Kharagpur

Aluminium Based Nanocomposites Developed By Mechanical Alloying And Non-Contact Ultrasonic Casting

Aluminium Based Nanocomposites Developed By Mechanical Alloying And Non-Contact Ultrasonic Casting

 

The Present Work Investigates On Aluminium-Rich Nanocomposites Developed By Mechanical Alloying And Non-Contact Ultrasonic Casting Methods. The Phase Evolution Characteristics In The Elemental Blends Of Al92mn6ce2, Al94.5cr3co1.5ce1, Al87y10ni3 And Al88ni9ce2fe1 Compositions During Mechanical Alloying Were Studied. The Structures Produced Were Compared With Those Reported For Rapid Solidification Processing Of The Same Compositions. It Was Revealed That A Wide Variation Of Lattice Parameter Of Al-Rich Solid Solutions In Presence Of Similar Level Of Surface And Strain Energy Played A Pivotal Role In The Amorphous Phase Formation By Mechanical Alloying. None Of The Aforesaid Alloys Resulted In A Completely Amorphous Structure And Hence, An Attempt Was Made To Consolidate The Mechanically Alloyed Fully Amorphous Powder Of Al88ni6ti6 Composition To Produce Bulk Al-Rich Nanocomposites Having Densities Near To The Theoretical Density. Consolidation Was Carried Out By Spark Plasma Sintering, Hot Pressing And Conventional Pressure-Less Sintering Methods. The Spark Plasma Sintered Compacts (500°C, 446 Mpa, 10 Min) Achieved A Relative Density (With Respect To Theoretical Density) Of ~95.8%, Compared To 87.6% In The Hot Pressed (500°C, 625 Mpa, 20 Min) And 86.2% In The Pressure-Less Sintered (850°C, 5 H) Compacts. The Spark Plasma Sintered Compacts Showed Greatly Superior Mechanical Properties (E.G. Microhardness Of 7.9 Gpa) Compared To The Hot Pressed (5.9 Gpa) And Pressure-Less Sintered Compacts (4.8 Gpa), Due To The Presence Of Nano-Features And Better Densification. The Microstructural Features And Mechanical Properties Were Investigated For The Ultrasonically Cast Nanocomposites Of Al Reinforced With Nano-Sized Al2o3 (Average Size ~10 Nm) Particles. The Nanocomposite Was Found To Be Consisting Of Nearly Continuous Nano-Alumina Dispersed Zones In The Vicinity Of Grain Boundaries Encapsulating Al2o3 Depleted Zones. A Marginal Increase In The Elastic Modulus, And A Significant Increase In The Microhardness (~92%), And Tensile Yield Strength (~57%) Were Obtained For Al–2 Wt.% Al2o3 Nanocomposite. The Nanocomposites Were Also Found To Be Significantly Workable And The Workability Index Was Reduced With Increasing Of Reinforcement. Orowan Mechanism Predicted Much Higher Yield Strength Than That Observed In The Present Nanocomposites And Therefore, Some Alternative Strengthening Mechanisms Like Local Climb And/Or Cross Slip Might Have A Role In Strengthening Of The Present Nanocomposites.

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