Investigation of Al-B4C Metal Matrix Composites Produced by Friction Stir Additive Processing

Abstract

Aluminium—boron carbide metal matrix composites (Al-B4C MMCs) belong to the class of materials extensively used in the nuclear industry as a thermal neutron absorber in spent fuel casks. This article investigates a novel production method of Al-B4C MMCs—Friction Stir Additive Processing (FSAP)—as an alternative production method to casting or sintering. FSAP is derived from friction stir welding, which can be used to local modifications of microstructure, or it can be used to incorporate the second phase into the processed material. During this study, a variant of FSAP for MMC production was proposed, and its mechanical and thermal neutron absorbing properties have been investigated. Further, the influence of neutron irradiation on mechanical properties has been studied. Results show that FSAP can successfully produce Al-B4C MMCs with 7 mm thickness. Neutron irradiation causes only a slight increase in hardness, while its effect on tensile properties remains inconclusive.

Recent Progress in Gd-Containing Materials for Neutron Shielding Applications: A Review

“…Among these reinforcing particles/phases, B 4 C is the most commonly used material in the AMCs due to its high strength, low density, and excellent neutron shielding properties [ 108 ]. Normally, the neutron absorption ability of the B 4 C/Al composite is highly dependent on the B 4 C content and sample thickness [ 109 ]. Chen et al [ 110 ] discovered that the B 4 C addition enhanced the neutron shielding performance of the B 4 C/6061Al composite.…”

Impact Deposition Behavior of Al/B4C Cold-Sprayed Composite Coatings: Understanding the Role of Porosity on Particle Retention

“…Particle-reinforced metal matrix composite (PRMMC) coatings (e.g., Al/B C [ 1 ], Al/SiC [ 2 ], Al/Al O [ 3 ]) have been widely employed in a variety of applications (e.g., aerospace [ 4 ], automotive [ 1 , 5 ], fuel storage [ 6 , 7 , 8 ], and transportation [ 9 ]) because of their favorable tribological properties [ 6 , 10 , 11 , 12 ], high hardness and stiffness [ 10 ], and fatigue resistance [ 13 ]. Typical manufacturing methods for PRMMCs include friction stir [ 14 ], squeeze casting [ 15 ], stir casting [ 16 ], powder compaction [ 17 ], and thermal spraying [ 18 ]. Among these techniques, the cold spray method [ 19 ] was recently adopted because of its favorable attributes: (1) the low temperature of the process ensures no phase change in the material [ 19 ], (2) materials with different thermal properties (e.g., ceramics and metals with very different melting points) and morphology can be mixed in the feedstock during the deposition process towards fabricating composite coatings [ 19 ], (3) cold spraying does not produce oxidation in the deposited coating [ 20 ], and (4) this technique generates lower residual stresses in the final coating when compared to other thermal spray techniques [ 21 ].…”

Machinability study of silicon carbide and cenosphere reinforced Al7075 composite using three different tool materials

“…Over the last two decades, the majority of researchers have concentrated on improving the microstructural and specific mechanical properties of metal matrix composites by reinforcing particles such as silicon carbide, boron carbide, aluminum oxide, titanium dioxide and titanium carbide [6][7][8][9][10][11]. These investigations examine particles of micro and nano dimensions.…”