Indexed by: Journal Article
Date of Publication: 2014-05-27
Journal: MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING A-STRUCTURAL MATERIALS PROPERTIES MICROSTRUCTURE AND PROCESSING
Included Journals: Scopus、EI、SCIE
Volume: 605
Page Number: 301-309
ISSN: 0921-5093
Key Words: In situ composites; TiB2 particles; Microstructure; Mechanical properties
Abstract: In Part I of the two part study, an improved halide salt route was developed to fabricate in situ TiB2 particulate reinforced aluminum matrix master composites based on the well-established flux assisted synthesis (FAS) method using mechanical stirring. By microstructural and element-recovery analysis, we show how the simple but effective "improved method" - leaving the reactant molten salt on the surface of aluminum melt without introducing any stirring during holding - influences the mechanical performance of the final composites. Processing parameters in terms of holding duration, reaction temperature and stirring speed before casting were optimized to produce Al-5 wt% TiB2 composite with consistent and sound quality. The experimental Al-5TiB(2) composite, prepared under the improved halide salt route condition, has achieved a 140% improvement in the UTS without compromising its ductility with respect to the Al matrix. The experimental validation of using the developed Al-5TiB(2) composite as a master composite to reinforce aluminum foundry alloys will be presented in Part II. (C)2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.