Effect of Fabrication Parameters on the Performance of 0.5 wt.% Graphene Nanoplates-Reinforced Aluminum Composites

Abstract

Aluminum composites reinforced by graphene nanoplates(GNP) with a mass fraction of 0.5% (0.5 wt.% GNP/Al) were fabricated using cold pressing and hot pressing. An orthogonal test was used to optimize the fabrication parameters. Ball milling time, ball milling speed, and ultrasonic time have the largest influence on the uniformity of the graphene in the composites. Afterwards, the microstructure, interfacial properties, and fracture morphology of the composites obtained with different parameters were further analyzed. The results show that ball milling time and ball milling speed have obvious influences on the mechanical properties of the composite. In this paper, when the ball milling speed is 300 r/min and the ball milling time is 6 h, the dispersion uniformity of graphene in the 0.5 wt.% GNP/Al composite is the best, the agglomeration is the lowest, and the mechanical properties of the composites are the best, among which the tensile strength is 156.8 MPa, 56.6% higher than that of pure aluminum fabricated by the same process (100.1 MPa), and the elongation is 19.9%, 39.8% lower than that of pure aluminum (33.1%).

Mechanical Behaviour and Morphology of Thixoformed Aluminium Alloy Reinforced by Graphene

“…However, no peaks of GNPs are observed because of the low graphene content and the limited resolution of elements of X-ray diffraction. Research studies by Shao et al [ 29 ] and Lou et al [ 30 ] have also reported these findings on the absence of GNPs. In addition, there was no obvious peak of the aluminium carbide (Al 4 C 3 ) phase found, thus proving that there was no chemical interaction between GNPs and Al alloy.…”

Newer Developments in Aluminium Alloys Through Ordered Precipitates and Segregation of Transition Elements

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Microstructural observation and mechanical properties behavior of Al2O3/Al6061 nanocomposite fabricated by stir casting process

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