Effect of High-Current Pulsed Electron Beam on Properties of Graphene-Modified Aluminum Titanium Carbide Composites

Abstract

High-current pulse electron beam (HCPEB) is an advanced surface modification technology developed in recent decades. This paper focuses on the effect of 0.3 wt.% graphene on the electrical conductivity and microhardness of HCPEB-treated Al-20TiC composites. The SEM results show that the titanium carbide was uniformly distributed in the aluminum matrix of the initial sample. Conversely, the graphene showed a small aggregation, and there were holes and cracks on the top surface of the sample. After HCPEB modification, the agglomeration of graphene gradually improved, and the number of surface pores reduced. The X-ray diffraction results show that after HCPEB treatment, the aluminum diffraction peak widened and shifted to a higher angle and the grain was significantly refined. Compared with the initial Al-20TiC composite samples, the conductivity of graphene-modified HCPEB-treated sample increased by 94.3%. The microhardness test results show that the microhardness of the graphene-modified HCPEB-treated sample increased by 18.4%, compared with the initial Al-20TiC composite samples. This enhancement of microhardness is attributed to the joint effects of fine grain strengthening, dispersion strengthening of the second phase, solution strengthening and dislocation strengthening. In brief, HCPEB has good application prospects for powder metallurgy in future.

Mechanical Property and Corrosion Behavior of Powder-Metallurgy-Processed 3D Graphene-Networks-Reinforced Al Matrix Composites

“…These results suggest that graphene content is also a key factor affecting the performance of AMCs. To date, most studies on graphene-reinforced AMCs have concentrated on low content of graphene (below 5 wt%) [28][29][30]. However, the atomic percentage is still large due to the low mass of the carbon atom.…”

“…A monotonous decrease in relative density is related to the agglomeration associated with the increase in 3DGN content. This also can be explained by the fact that when the temperature is 600 • C, aluminum has a high viscosity, which can lead to poor liquid aluminum flow, resulting in the formation of pores [28].…”