Abstract
Ceramic particles typically do not have a sufficiently high wettability for incorporation into molten metal during aluminum matrix composite manufacturing. Metallic coatings on ceramic particles could improve their wettability by the molten aluminum and hence provide a better bonding between the reinforcement and matrix. In this study, micrometer-sized SiC particles were coated by copper, nickel, and cobalt metallic layers using electroless deposition method. These metallic layers were produced separately prior to ceramic incorporation into molten pure aluminum, in order to compare their effects on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the produced composites. The experimental results showed that copper was the most effective and nickel the least effective of these coating metals for incorporation of the SiC particles into the molten aluminum. It was additionally found that the composite, which contained the copper coated SiC particles, produced the highest microhardness and tensile strength, while that fabricated with the cobalt-coated SiC particles produced the lowest microhardness and tensile strength.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Srivatsan T (1996) Microstructure, tensile properties and fracture behaviour of Al2O3 particulate-reinforced aluminium alloy metal matrix composites. J Mater Sci 31(5):1375–1388
Smagorinski M, Tsantrizos P (2000) Development of light composite materials with low coefficients of thermal expansion. Mater Sci Technol 16(7–8):853–861
Bhushan RK, Kumar S, Das S (2013) Fabrication and characterization of 7075 Al alloy reinforced with SiC particulates. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 65(5–8):611–624
Mohammadpour M, Khosroshahi RA, Mousavian RT, Brabazon D (2015) A novel method for incorporation of micron-sized SiC particles into molten pure aluminum utilizing a Co coating. Metall Mater Trans B 46(1):12–19
Dandekar CR, Shin YC (2013) Experimental evaluation of laser-assisted machining of silicon carbide particle-reinforced aluminum matrix composites. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 66(9–12):1603–1610
Roshan M, Mousavian TR, Ebrahimkhani H, Mosleh A (2013) Fabrication of Al-based composites reinforced with Al2O3–Tib2 ceramic composite particulates using vortex-casting method. J Min Metall B: Metall 49(3):299–305
Ramanathan S (2013) Effect of silicon carbide volume fraction on the hot workability of 7075 aluminium-based metal–matrix composites. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 67(5–8):1711–1720
Valibeygloo N, Khosroshahi RA, Mousavian RT (2013) Microstructural and mechanical properties of Al-4.5 wt% Cu reinforced with alumina nanoparticles by stir casting method. Int J Miner Metall Mater 20(10):978–985
Canakci A, Arslan F (2012) Abrasive wear behaviour of B4C particle reinforced Al2024 MMCs. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 63(5–8):785–795
Naher S, Brabazon D, Looney L (2007) Computational and experimental analysis of particulate distribution during Al–SiC MMC fabrication. Compos A: Appl Sci Manuf 38(3):719–729
Tzamtzis S, Barekar N, Hari Babu N, Patel J, Dhindaw B, Fan Z (2009) Processing of advanced Al/SiC particulate metal matrix composites under intensive shearing—a novel rheo-process. Compos A: Appl Sci Manuf 40(2):144–151
Naher S, Brabazon D, Looney L (2003) Simulation of the stir casting process. J Mater Process Technol 143:567–571
Hashim J, Looney L, Hashmi M (1999) Metal matrix composites: production by the stir casting method. J Mater Process Technol 92:1–7
Rajan T, Pillai R, Pai B, Satyanarayana K, Rohatgi P (2007) Fabrication and characterisation of Al–7Si–0.35 Mg/fly ash metal matrix composites processed by different stir casting routes. Compos Sci Technol 67(15):3369–3377
Brabazon D, Browne D, Carr A (2002) Mechanical stir casting of aluminium alloys from the mushy state: process, microstructure and mechanical properties. Mater Sci Eng A 326(2):370–381
Hashim J, Looney L, Hashmi M (2001) The wettability of SiC particles by molten aluminium alloy. J Mater Process Technol 119(1):324–328
Prabu SB, Karunamoorthy L, Kathiresan S, Mohan B (2006) Influence of stirring speed and stirring time on distribution of particles in cast metal matrix composite. J Mater Process Technol 171(2):268–273
Mohammadpour M, Azari Khosroshahi R, Taherzadeh Mousavian R, Brabazon D (2014) Effect of interfacial-active elements addition on the incorporation of micron-sized SiC particles in molten pure aluminum. Ceram Int 40(6):8323–8332
Beigi Khosroshahi N, Azari Khosroshahi R, Taherzadeh Mousavian R, Brabazon D (2014) Electroless deposition (ED) of copper coating on micron-sized SiC particles. Surf Eng 30(10):747–751
Beigi Khosroshahi N, Azari Khosroshahi R, Taherzadeh Mousavian R, Brabazon D (2014) Effect of electroless coating parameters and ceramic particle size on fabrication of a uniform Ni–P coating on SiC particles. Ceram Int 40(8):12149–12159
Leon C, Drew R (2002) The influence of nickel coating on the wettability of aluminum on ceramics. Compos A: Appl Sci Manuf 33(10):1429–1432
Bhav Singh B, Balasubramanian M (2009) Processing and properties of copper-coated carbon fibre reinforced aluminium alloy composites. J Mater Process Technol 209(4):2104–2110
Rams J, Urena A, Escalera M, Sánchez M (2007) Electroless nickel coated short carbon fibres in aluminium matrix composites. Compos A: Appl Sci Manuf 38(2):566–575
Urena A, Rams J, Escalera M, Sánchez M (2007) Effect of copper electroless coatings on the interaction between a molten Al–Si–Mg alloy and coated short carbon fibres. Compos A: Appl Sci Manuf 38(8):1947–1956
Hashim J, Looney L, Hashmi M (2001) The enhancement of wettability of SiC particles in cast aluminium matrix composites. J Mater Process Technol 119(1):329–335
McAlister A (1989) The Al–Co (aluminum–cobalt) system. J Phase Equilib 10(6):646–650
Gusak AM, Zaporozhets T, Lyashenko YO, Kornienko S, Pasichnyy M, Shirinyan A (2010) Diffusion-controlled solid state reactions: in alloys, thin-films, and nanosystems. Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Boschstr. 12,69469, Weinheim, Germany John Wiley & Sons, p 105
Shevchenko M, Berezutskii V, Ivanov M, Kudin V, Sudavtsova V (2014) Thermodynamic properties of alloys of the Al–Co and Al–Co–Sc systems. Russ J Phys Chem A 88(5):729–734
Rajan T, Pillai R, Pai B (1998) Reinforcement coatings and interfaces in aluminium metal matrix composites. J Mater Sci 33(14):3491–3503
Zhu S, Tang L, Cui Z, Wei Q, Yang X (2011) Preparation of copper-coated β-SiC nanoparticles by electroless plating. Surf Coat Technol 205(8):2985–2988
Yih P, Chung D (1996) Silicon carbide whisker copper-matrix composites fabricated by hot pressing copper coated whiskers. J Mater Sci 31(2):399–406
Leon C, Mendoza-Suarez G, Drew RA (2006) Wettability and spreading kinetics of molten aluminum on copper-coated ceramics. J Mater Sci 41(16):5081–5087
Leon-Patino CA, Drew RA (2005) Role of metal interlayers in the infiltration of metal–ceramic composites. Curr Opinion Solid State Mater Sci 9(4):211–218
Ibrahim I, Mohamed F, Lavernia E (1991) Particulate reinforced metal matrix composites—a review. J Mater Sci 26(5):1137–1156
Mortensen A, Gungor MN, Cornie J, Flemings M (1986) Alloy microstructures in cast metal matrix composites. JOM 38(3):30–35
Asthana R (1998) Processing effects on the engineering properties of cast metal-matrix composites. Adv Perform Mater 5(3):213–255
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Mousavian, R.T., Damadi, S.R., Khosroshahi, R.A. et al. A comparison study of applying metallic coating on SiC particles for manufacturing of cast aluminum matrix composites. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 81, 433–444 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-015-7246-4
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-015-7246-4