Production and microstructural investigation of Al-nano TiB۲ composite produced by powder metallurgy technique

Automotive and aerospace industries are required to light materials which have high properties. This causes to reduce production cost and fuel consumption. One of these advanced materials that have been attracted at these decades is particulate metal matrix nanocomposites. These materials have a combination of ductile matrix alloy properties and ceramic reinforcement nanoparticles. Powder metallurgy is one of the significant methods to fabricate this kind of materials. In this research, aluminum alloy matrix nanocomposites reinforced with ۱.۵, ۲.۵, ۳.۵, ۵, and ۱۰ Vol. % TiB۲ nanoparticles were fabricated via powder metallurgy method. Fabrication was performed at two different sintering temperatures, viz. ۶۵۰ and ۶۸۰ °C. Optimum amount of reinforcement and sintering temperature was determined by evaluating density and microstructural studies of nanocomposites. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis illustrated that distribution of nano TiB۲ particles in aluminum matrix is suitable. Also, density results showed that with increasing the TiB۲ volume percent, density of composites increases.

Keywords:

Aluminum matrix composites , Nano TiB۲ , Microstructure , Powder Metallurgy , Density