Fabrication of TiB<sub>2</sub>–Al1050 Composites with Improved Microstructural and Mechanical Properties by a Liquid Pressing Infiltration Process

oleh: Seongmin Ko, Hyeonjae Park, Yeong-Hwan Lee, Sangmin Shin, Ilguk Jo, Junghwan Kim, Sang-Bok Lee, Yangdo Kim, Sang-Kwan Lee, Seungchan Cho

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2020-03-01

Deskripsi

This study was conducted on titanium diboride (TiB<sub>2</sub>) reinforced Al metal matrix composites (MMCs) with improved properties using a TiB<sub>2</sub> and aluminum (Al) 1050 alloy. Al composites reinforced with fine TiB<sub>2</sub> at volume ratios of more than 60% were successfully fabricated via the liquid pressing infiltration (LPI) process, which can be used to apply gas pressure at a high temperature. The microstructure of the TiB<sub>2</sub>–Al composite fabricated at 1000 °C with pressurization of 10 bar for 1 h showed that molten Al effectively infiltrated into the high volume-fraction TiB<sub>2</sub> preform due to the improved wettability and external gas pressurization. In addition, the interface of TiB<sub>2</sub> and Al not only had no cracks or pores but also had no brittle intermetallic compounds. In conclusion, TiB<sub>2</sub>–Al composite, which has a sound microstructure without defects, has improved mechanical properties, such as hardness and strength, due to effective load transfer from the Al matrix to the fine TiB<sub>2</sub> reinforcement.