Fabrication characteristics and tribological behavior of Al/SiC/Gr hybrid aluminum matrix composites: A review

Abstract

Improvement in surface properties and retainment of bulk properties are essential requirements for the design of components for wear resistance applications. This paper summarizes various features of Al/SiC/Gr hybrid composites that can be employed in different tribological applications. The study has revealed that the processing route plays a significant role in obtaining a homogeneous structure of these composites. In powder metallurgy, the selection of sizes of the matrix and reinforcement powders is crucial, whereas the wettability between the reinforcement particles and molten alloy is a major challenge in liquid metallurgy. The incorporation of SiC particles increases the mechanical strength and wear performance of Al composites. However, ejection of these particles can reduce the wear performance of Al composites under severe conditions. The addition of Gr particles helps in the formation of a thick and extensive tribolayer on the wear surface. This layer reduces direct contact between the rubbing surfaces, thereby decreasing the wear rate under certain conditions. Morphological analysis of worn surfaces has confirmed that the hybrid composites exhibit superior wear properties than the pure Al alloy and the ceramic-reinforced composite. However, increase in the Gr content beyond a limiting value can deteriorate the tribological properties of these composites. Therefore, true optimization of a tribosystem (of the hybrid composite and counterface) can be achieved by selecting appropriate reinforcement contents.

Fiber Traction Printing: A 3D Printing Method of Continuous Fiber Reinforced Metal Matrix Composite

“…It is considered to be an alternative material to aluminum and titanium alloys [1] because of its high specific strength, high specific modulus, corrosion resistance, and oxidation resistance, etc. [4][5][6][7][8]. However, MMC has several challenges, principally in its high cost and machining complexity [4,9], which limit its further application_ENREF_7.…”

Microstructure and corrosion resistance of Al3(Zr, Ti)/Al composite prepared by powder metallurgy

“…Hybrid composites can significantly improve or improve some properties of original single reinforcements due to different properties of various reinforcements, especially due to mixed effects. [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] In the Al-Zr-Ti ternary system, most of the researchers focus on the formation mechanism and microstructure of Al-Zr-Ti ternary system compounds. For example, Yang and Lu et al 26,27 used electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods to study the ternary phase diagram of Al-Zr-Ti ternary alloys at 1273 K and 1073 K; the results show that in the Al-Zr-Ti ternary system, only elemental and binary phases are formed, no ternary phase is formed, and since the similarity of Ti and Zr elements is high, the Zr atom in the Al-Zr binary intermetallic compound is almost completely substituted by Ti atoms, so most of the Zr atoms in the Al-Zr intermetallic compound in the phase diagram are replaced by Ti atoms to form a replacement solid solution, thereby enhancing the properties of the composite.…”

A review of microstructure, mechanical properties and wear behavior of hybrid aluminium matrix composites fabricated via stir casting route

“…It has been revealed that use of innovative techniques for fabrication of AMCs is quite helpful in meeting various service requirements such as lifetime requirements, complexity of shape, strength considerations and cost requirements. Now a days, liquid casting route has been found to be most viable option for production of Al-composites on a commercial scale since it is simple, economical, flexible and highly productive method [8,9]. In this process, the reinforcements are incorporated into the molten alloy by stirring action of the impeller followed by casting of the composites.…”