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This article deals with powder metallurgical production and modification of properties of a composite material based on an age‐hardenable Al–Cu alloy. The main objective is to improve the mechanical properties by particle reinforcement and equal‐channel angular pressing (ECAP). Our approach makes use of four hardening mechanisms: precipitation hardening, particle reinforcement, strain‐hardening, and grain boundary hardening associated with an ultrafine‐grained microstructure produced by ECAP. The main processing steps are high‐energy ball milling, hot‐isostatic pressing, extrusion, heat treatment, and a single ECAP pass. Microstructures are analyzed by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and scanning transmission electron microscopy. The mechanical properties are characterized by hardness measurements and quasi‐static tensile testing. Our experimental results show that the proposed processing route results in a nearly homogeneous distribution of SiC particles in the matrix. The combination of particle reinforcement and ECAP leads to an improvement of ultimate tensile strength by almost 300 MPa compared to the unreinforced alloy. A subsequent heat treatment leads to a further increase in hardness and strength that can be related to changes in the defect structure. Our study provides detailed information on how processing steps, microstructures, and mechanical behavior are interrelated in this technologically relevant class of materials.

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Fine, home-synthesized, hydroxyapatite powder was formulated with water and alcohol to obtain a suspension used to plasma spray coatings onto a titanium substrate. The deposition process was optimized using statistical design of 2 n experiments with two variables: spray distance and electric power input to plasma. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to determine quantitatively the phase composition of obtained deposits. Raman microscopy and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) enabled localization of the phases in different positions of the coating cross sections. Transmission electron microscopic (TEM) study associated with energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) enabled visualization and analysis of a two-zone microstructure. One zone contained crystals of hydroxyapatite, tetracalcium phosphate, and a phase rich in calcium oxide. This zone included lamellas, usually observed in thermally sprayed coatings. The other zone contained fine hydroxyapatite grains that correspond to nanometric and submicrometric solids from the suspension that were agglomerated and sintered in the cold regions of plasma jet and on the substrate.

The corrosion behaviour of the aluminium alloy, AA6082, processed by equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) after different passes (route E, room temperature) was studied in comparison to the coarse-grained counterpart. The results of the electrochemical investigations (cyclovoltammetry; electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, EIS) are presented in correlation with the microstructure before and after the corrosion examinations. Both, chemical (precipitations, phases) and physical (dislocations, high-angle grain boundaries, grain size, low-angle grain boundaries) inhomogeneities characterize the microstructure of this commercially used Al-Mg-Si alloy. Results indicate an improved resistance against pitting of the ECAP material expressed by a reduced pitting density of up to 50 % and lower pit depths. EIS measurements and microstructural examinations (scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, 3D topography measurement) confirm that ECAP modifies the number, size and distribution of these inhomogeneities, which leads to a more favourable corrosion behaviour.

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The study deals with the optimisation of medium-to highstrength aluminium wrought alloys. The goal is to define processing routes in order to improve the mechanical properties if compared to their commercial counterparts. It is shown for the Al-Mg-Si and the Al-Cu-Mg-Si system that the application of ECAP enables a significant increase in strength. The strengthening as well as the grain size reduction respectively, benefit from increasing alloying as well as from the degree of aging. It is also shown that the presence of a considerably fine particulate reinforcement hardens the material tremendously during ECAP. The combination of a pre-or post-ECAP heat treatment enables the improvement of the workability on the one hand, reducing the loads on the die, and also gives a better ductility on the other hand. This positive effect is particularly pronounced for low alloying contents and high aging temperatures and can be attributed to the interaction of deformation induced defects and the precipitation activity. The combination of an appropriate set of ECAP parameters (heat treatment condition, ECAPstrain, -temperature, -backpressure) enables the efficient production of outstanding properties. Due to the low workability of AA7075 (Al-Zn-Mg-Cu system) no significant improvement in properties was achieved.

Based on metallographic studies the states of composite powder formation during high-energy ball milling will be discussed. Spherical powder of aluminium alloy AA2017 was used as feedstock material for the matrix. SiC and Al 2 O 3 powders of submicron and micron grain size (<2 lm) were chosen as reinforcement particles with contents of 5 and 15 vol.-% respectively. The milling duration amounted to a maximum of 4 hours. The abrasion of the surface of the steel balls, the rotor and the vessel is indicated by the content of ferrous particles in the powder. High-energy ball milling leads to satisfying particle dispersion for both types of reinforcement particles. Further improvements are intended. The microstructure of compact material obtained by hot isostatic pressing and extrusion was studied in detail by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. For both types of reinforcement the microstructure of composites is similar. The microporosity is low. The interface between reinforcement particles and matrix is free of brittle phases and microcracks. In the case of SiC reinforcement particles, a small interface interaction is detectable which implies a good embedding of reinforcement particles. High-energy ball milling under air-atmosphere leads to the formation of the spinel phase MgAl 2 O 4 during the subsequent powder-metallurgical processing. Because of the size, rate and dispersion of the spinel particles, an additional reinforcement effect is expected.