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Simultaneously enhancing the strength and ductility of particulate-reinforced aluminum matrix composite by aging treatment

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Abstract

In this work, powder thixoforming technique was utilized to prepare 10 vol% SiC particulate-reinforced 6061 alloy matrix (SiCp/6061Al) composite and artificial aging treatment was conducted to enhance mechanical properties. The results reveal that the aging process of SiCp/6061Al composite at 175 °C can be divided into three stages: under-aged (0.5–10 h) stage, peak-aged (10 h) stage and over-aged (10–48 h) stage, which were dominated by Guinier–Preston zone, β″ and β phase, respectively. Correspondingly, the tensile strengths of this composite exhibited a trend of first rising (0.5–10 h) and then decreasing (10–48 h), while the elongation continuously decreased all the time. Comparing with the as-fabricated composite, optimal aging treatment for 10 h led to maximum ultimate tensile strength of 309 MPa, yield strength of 240 MPa and a moderate elongation of 3.7%, representing remarkable increments of 34.3%, 87.5% and 42.3%, respectively. The aging behaviors of SiCp/6061Al composite and corresponding strengthening as well as toughening mechanisms were discussed.

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The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the financial support from the Basic Scientific Fund of Gansu Universities (Grant No. G2014-07), the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University of China (Grant No. NCET-10-0023) and the Program for Hongliu Outstanding Talents of Lanzhou University of Technology (Grant No. 2012-03).

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  1. State Key Laboratory of Advanced Processing and Recycling of Nonferrous Metals, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou, 730050, China

    Xuezheng Zhang & Tijun Chen

  2. Dongguan Eontec Co. Ltd., Dongguan, 523662, China

    Xuezheng Zhang

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  1. Xuezheng Zhang
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Zhang, X., Chen, T. Simultaneously enhancing the strength and ductility of particulate-reinforced aluminum matrix composite by aging treatment. Journal of Materials Research 36, 3445–3459 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1557/s43578-021-00389-x

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