Fabrication of Aluminium Matrix Composite Using Thixoforming Process for High Strength Material Components

Abstract

Aluminium-based MMCs (metal matrix composites) have many potential applications in the automotive manufacturing industry, aerospace and military because the aluminum has a low density. Aluminum as a matrix with Al 2 O 3 reinforcement has attracted interest to be developed in order to improve the mechanical property. The study carried out the formation of Al-5%Cu-4%Mg matrix with the reinforcement of Al 2 O 3 by thixoforming process. In this paper, we studied the effect of semisolid thixoforming process on strength of Al-5%Cu-4%Mg matrix. The matrix used here was doped by Al 2 O 3 with the volume fraction from 5% to 20%. It is found that strength of MMCs significantly increases with increasing volume fraction of Al 2 O 3 reinforcement from 5% to 20%. This is due to a good wettability in interface region such as formation of spinel MgAl 2 O 4 phase. Moreover, toughness of MMCs increases by process of semisolid thixoforming due to evolution of microstructure such as globular and fine grain structures. These results indicate that the thixocasting process conducted in this study could increase the value of the matrix hardness and tensile strength, so that such process opens up opportunity for application in the manufacturing industry.