Agglomerating behavior of in-situ TiB2 particles and strength-ductility synergetic improvement of in-situ TiB2p/7075Al composites through ultrasound vibration

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

Authors

  • Yihong Wu
  • Linwei Li
  • Huijun Kang
  • Enyu Guo
  • Guohao Du
  • Zongning Chen
  • Tongmin Wang

Organisational units

External Organisational units

  • Key Laboratory of Solidification Control and Digital Preparation Technology (Liaoning Province)
  • Shanghai Advanced Research Institute CAS

Abstract

Agglomerates of in-situ particles are the key detrimental defects in particulate reinforced aluminum matrix composites (PRAMCs) by acting as Achilles' heel leading to the premature failure of the materials. Effective methods to disperse/eliminate these agglomerates rely on in-depth understanding of the agglomeration mechanism of the in-situ particles. In this work, the agglomerating behavior of TiB 2 particles in Al-Ti-B system was investigated through the thermit reactions between mixed fluorides and molten aluminum. The results indicate that the morphological patterns of TiB 2 agglomerates are inherited from the preformed Al 3Ti intermedium. The formation of flocculent, shell and flaky TiB 2 agglomerates are the results of the diffusing boron atoms continuously reacting with Al 3Ti. The in-situ Al-TiB 2 was used as a precursor to prepare TiB 2p/7075 Al composites. In particular, ultrasound vibration treatment was applied to explore if a locally forced oscillation can deagglomerate the TiB 2 agglomerates. Microstructural observations strongly support such speculation. Thanks to the deagglomeration and dispersion of TiB 2 particles, both the strength and ductility of the PRAMC have been improved drastically. The fracture surface of the composites was transformed from particle debonding to the dominance of ductile fracture.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number113652
Number of pages10
JournalMaterials characterization
Volume208.2024
Issue numberFebruary
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2024