Analysis of the Consolidation Behaviour of Aluminium/nano-SiC Composite Powders Using Non-Linear Compaction Equation

The densification response of aluminium powder reinforced with nanometric SiC particles (50 nm) during uniaxial compaction was studied. To determine the effect of SiC nanoparticles on the compressibility of the matrix, monolithic Al powder was also examined. The effect of SiC nanoparticles on the densification mechanisms, i.e. particle rearrangement and plastic deformation, was analysed using modified Cooper–Eaton equation. The results showed that with increasing the reinforcement volume fraction (up to 20 vol.-%), the contribution of particle rearrangementincreases whilst the plastic deformation is limited. At high compaction pressures, the reinforcement particles significantly influence the yield pressure of the composite powder, retarding the densification. The influence of the reinforcement particle size is discussed in this paper

Keywords:

Densification , Nanocomposite , Al/n-SiC , Compaction equation