study of aluminium metal matrix composites review · doi : 10.23883/ijrter.2017.3113.xqsxf 82 study...

DOI : 10.23883/IJRTER.2017.3113.XQSXF 82

Study of Aluminium Metal Matrix Composites – Review

Balamurugan Adhithan1, Dhanusiya B2 1, 2 Assistant Professor – School of Mechanical engineering SRM University NCR Campus Modinagar

Abstract: Metal matrix composites have superior mechanical properties in comparison to metals over

a wide range of operating conditions. This makes them an attractive option in replacing metals for

various engineering applications. This paper provides a literature review, on machining of Aluminium

metal matrix composites (AMMC) especially the particle reinforced Aluminium metal matrix

composites. This paper is an attempt to give brief account of recent work over AMMC. By suitably

selecting the machining parameters, machining of AMMC can be made economical.

Keywords — Aluminium metal matrix composites, Reinforcement, Cutting speed, Feed, Depth of

cut, Surface finish, Mach inability etc

I. INTRODUCTION

In the outlook now days, finding ways to develop new structural materials with higher strength to

weight ratios is one of the biggest challenges in the transportation and aerospace industry is. Properties

like high specific strength, stiffness, better wear resistance and improved elevated temperature

properties compared to the conventional metals and alloys are the key reasons for the increasing

attention towards Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs). Composite materials consist of two or more

materials that differ in chemical and physical properties and are not soluble in one another. The primary

constituent in a composite material is the matrix phase that provides load transfer and structural

integrity, while the reinforcement to enhance mechanical properties. The matrix and reinforcement

materials can either be organic (polymers), inorganic (ceramic or glass) or metallic (aluminium,

titanium, etc.). The most common forms of reinforcement materials are fibers (long and short), or

particulates. Aluminium and its alloys have attracted most attention as base metal in metal matrix

composites [1] . Composite materials have superior specific properties (high strength to weight ratio)

compared to metals, high stiffness and good damage resistance over a wide range of operating

conditions, making them an attractive option in replacing conventional materials for many engineering

applications. Important properties of composite materials are: improved strength & stiffness, excellent

fatigue resistance, high heat resistant, high wear resistant, high corrosion resistant, low weight etc. By

suitable arrangement of metal matrix and reinforcement addition, it is possible to obtain desired

properties for a particular application.

Matrix materials in Metal Matrix Composites (MMC) are aluminium, magnesium and titanium alloys.

Reinforcing materials in MMC are silicon carbide, boron carbide, alumina and graphite in the form of

particles, short fibers (whiskers) or long fibers. In Aluminium Metal Matrix Composites (AMMC),

matrix material is aluminium and reinforcement materials are silicon carbide, aluminum oxide, boron

carbide, graphite etc. in the form of fibers, whiskers & particles. This paper discusses the important

aspects of machining of MMC especially the Aluminium metal matrix composites. Fibers are the

important class of reinforcements, as they satisfy the desired conditions and transfer strength to the

matrix constituent influencing and Enhancing their properties as desired. Zircon is usually used as

hybrid reinforcement. It increases the wear resistance significantly In the last decade, the use of fly ash

reinforcements has been increased due to their low cost and availability as waste by-product in thermal

power plants. It increases the electromagnetic shielding effect of the Al MMC.

International Journal of Recent Trends in Engineering & Research (IJRTER) Volume 03, Issue 04; April - 2017 [ISSN: 2455-1457]

@IJRTER-2017, All Rights Reserved 83

II. CNT REINFORCED MATERIALS

QianqianLi, et al., (2009) has proposed in their journal of improved processing of carbon nano

tubes/magnesium alloy composites. In this study, a two-step process was applied. In first stage, a block

copolymer was used as a dispersion agent to pre-disperse multiwall carbon nano tubes (MWNTs) on

Mg alloy chip. Then the chip with the well dispersed MWNTs on their surface were melted and at the

same time vigorously stirred. The molten MWNT Mg alloy composites were poured into a cylindrical

mould to solidify quickly. For the pre-dispersion step, the microstructures of the Mg alloy chip were

studied under SEM. MWNTs were quite successfully dispersed on the surface of the Mg alloy chips.

The mechanical properties of the MWNT/Mg composites were measured by compression testing. The

compression at failure, the compressive yield strength and ultimate compressive strength have all been

improved significantly up to 36% by only adding 0.1wt% MWNTs to the Mg alloy.

C.S.Goh Wei, et al., (2008) has proposed in their journal of Development of novel carbon nanotubes

reinforced magnesium nanocomposites using powder metallurgy technique. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs)

reinforced magnesium nanocomposites were synthesized using the powder metallurgy technique

followed by hot extrusion. Up to 0.3 wt% of CNTs were added as reinforcements. The effects of carbon

nanotubes on the physical and mechanical properties of Mg were investigated. The thermo mechanical

property results show an increase in thermal stability with increasing amount of CNTs in Mg

nanocomposite. Mechanical property characterizations reveal an improvement of yield strength,

ductility and work of fracture with higher weight percentages of CNTs incorporated. An attempt is

made to correlate the physical and mechanical properties with the increasing weight fractions of carbon

nanotubes in pure Mg matrix.

Material -Magnesium powder of more than 98.5% purity was used as the matrix material, and multi-

walled carbon nanotubes.

Process- The powder metallurgy technique was used to synthesize both monolithic magnesium and

magnesium nanocomposite (Mg-CNT) containing 0.06, 0.18 and 0.3 wt% of CNTs respectively. The

Mg powder was homogeneously mixed with the respective weight percentages of carbon nanotubes

using a V-blender for 10 hours set at a rotational speed of 50 rpm. Various homogenized powder

mixtures of Mg and CNTs were then compacted at a pressure of 728 MPa to form billets of 35 mm

diameter and 40 mm height. The compacted billets were then sintered in a tube furnace at 630°C with

argon gas as protective atmosphere for 2 hours. Monolithic Mg billets were Fabricated directly by

compaction and sintering, thereby omitting the mixing process. The sintered monolithic Mg and Mg

nanocomposites were hot extruded at 350°C using an extrusion ratio of 20.25: 1. The following test

have been undertaken such as Coefficient of Thermal Expansion, Macro hardness , Tensile Testing ,

Macro hardness ,Density and Porosity.

Powder metallurgy route coupled with hot extrusion can be used to synthesize magnesium

nanocomposites reinforced with CNTs with more superior properties than conventional Mg-SiC

composites. Coefficient of thermal expansion results indicates that Mg-CNT nanocomposites are

thermally more stable than monolithic pure Mg. The results of mechanical behavior characterization

revealed that an increasing volume fraction of CNTs in the magnesium matrix lead to an improvement

in 0.2%YS, ductility and work of fracture. An increase in the ductility was observed till 0.18 wt. % of

CNTs in Mg.

Hansang Kwon,et al., (2009) has proposed in their journal of Investigation of carbon nanotube

reinforced aluminum matrix composite material. In this journal the tensile strength without

compromising the elongation of aluminum (Al)–carbon nanotube (CNT) composite by a combination

of spark plasma sintering followed by hot-extrusion processes. From the micro structural viewpoint,

the average thickness of the boundary layer with relatively low CNT incorporation has been observed



by optical, field-emission scanning electron and higher solution transmission electron microscopes.

Significantly, the Al–CNT composite showed no decrease in elongation despite highly enhanced

tensile strength compared to that of pure Al. We believe that the presence of CNTs in the boundary

layer affects the mechanical properties, which leads to well-aligned CNTs in the extrusion direction as

well as effective stress transfer between the Al matrix and the CNTs Due to the generation of aluminum

carbide. Following test have been undertaken like Tensile strength with no degradation of elongation

in Al–CNT composite containing 1 vol% CNT due to successful control of the boundary layer. The

boundary layers of the composites were around 100 nm on average. In particular, a small quantity of

aluminum carbide was generated in the boundary in tube and sand-particle shapes, which may assist

effective load transfer from the matrix to the CNTs through chemical bonding.

E. Carreño-Morelli,et al., (2004) has proposed in their journal of Carbon nanotube/magnesium

composites. The Resonant measurements showed an improvement of about 9% in the Young’s

modulus of Mg–2wt%CNTs (38.6 ± 0.7 Gap) compared with unreinforced sintered Mg (35.3 ± 0.8

Gap). The stress-strain curves measured in tensile tests exhibit a ductile metallic behavior, which

suggests good bonding between carbon nanotubes and magnesium matrix. The yield strength σ0.2,

rupture strength its and strain after fracture of, are similar to those measured in sintered magnesium.

Scanning electron microscopy of the fracture surface of a Mg–2wt%CNT specimen reveals that carbon

nanotubes are uniformly dispersed in the magnesium matrix. This uniform dispersion of reinforcement,

together with the overall performance of the processed composites show that potential Sources of

weakness as nanotube agglomerates can be avoided by appropriate mixing and sintering.

METHOD USED- Turbula T2C mixerbased on powder metallurgy techniques.

MATERIAL USED –Magnesium powder - 99.8% purity was used as base metal powder and Multi-

wall carbon nanotubes.

A.M.K. Esawi,et al., (2010)has proposed in their journal ofEffect of carbon nanotube (CNT) content

on the mechanical properties of CNT-reinforced aluminium composites. In this study, dispersion of

MWCNTs within an aluminium matrix was achieved using high energy ball milling for 30 min at 400

rpm. Such conditions were found to be generally effective in dispersing the CNTs while limiting strain

hardening of the aluminium powder. Mechanical properties were found to improve significantly with

the increase in CNT content and either exceeded or were close to predicted values based on composite

theory except at 5 wt. % when the mechanical properties fell short of predicted values. Due to the

thermal processing of the samples, carbide formation was observed for the samples containing 5 wt.%

CNT. At large volume fractions, the large aspect ratio CNTs used in the present study were found to

have a tendency to agglomerate and thus were difficult to disperse. The agglomeration has in turn

affected the attained mechanical properties, which although were improved compared to pure

aluminium, were observed to either stay the same or go down at 5 wt. %. Ongoing and future work

includes studying the effect of the aspect ratio of CNT and CNT quality as well as degree of interfacial

reactions on the strengthening of the aluminium matrix. Optimization of the ball milling conditions is

also being conducted in order to find the most favourable conditions for CNT dispersion coupled with

limited cold working of the matrix as well as minimum damage to the CNTs. Achieving improved

dispersion at high CNT contents is also being investigated.

A. Esawari,et al., (2006) hasproposedin their journal of Dispersion of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in

aluminium powder. One of the key issues in the development of CNT/metal matrix composites is

controlling the agglomeration of the nanotubes. This has been a major impediment facing the

development of these new materials. The results presented in this paper demonstrate that mechanical

alloying is a promising technique to overcome this problem. The SEM results showed that the usual



CNT clustering often observed when using Tubular mixing was eliminated; moreover, individual

nanotubes were observed embedded in the aluminium matrix after 48 h of milling which did not appear

to be damaged by the selected milling intensity (200 rpm) and ball-to-powder ratio (10:1). Very large

particle sizes were however obtained after prolonged MA due to the high CNT–Al composite particle

ductility which promotes excessive cold-welding. The authors however believe that with an increase

in CNT content the composite particles will become less ductile and much lower particle sizes should

be obtained, which would then be more suitable for subsequent sintering processes. Another way to

reduce the excessive particle welding is to use a process control agent, which are typically used in the

MA field. These are however the subject of ongoing investigations by the authors.

III. SILICON CARBIDE REINFORCED AMC

Tamer Ozbenet al. [2] investigated the mechanical and mach inability properties of SiC particle

reinforced Al-MMC. With the increase in reinforcement ratio, tensile strength, hardness and density

of Al MMC material increased, but impact toughness decreased.

Sedat Ozdenet al. [3] investigated the impact behaviour of Al and SiC particle reinforced with AMC

under different temperature conditions. The impact behaviour of composites was affected by clustering

of particles, particle cracking and weak Matrix- reinforcement bonding. The effects of the test

temperature on the impact behavior of all materials were not very significant.

Srivatsan et al. [4] conducted a study of the high cycle fatigue and investigated the fracture

behavior of 7034/SiC/15p- UA and 7034/SiC/15p-PAmetalmatrix composites. The modulus, strength

and the ductility of the two composite microstructures decreased with an increase in temperature. The

degradation in cyclic fatigue life was more pronounced for the under-aged microstructure than the

peak-aged microstructure Also, for a given ageing condition, increasing the load ratio resulted in

higher fatigue strength

Thunemann et al. [5] studied the properties of performs. Polymethyl siloxane (PMS) was used as a

binder. polymer content of 1.25 wt.%conferred sufficient stability to the preforms to enable composite

processing. It is thus shown that the PMS derived binder confers the desired strength to the SiC

preforms without impairing the mechanical properties of the resulting Al/SiC composites

Sujan et al. [6] studied the performance of stir cast Al2O3 and SiC reinforced metal matrix composite

material. The result showed that the composite materials exhibit improved physical and mechanical

properties, such as low coefficient of thermal expansion as low as 4.6x10-6/C, high ultimate tensile

strength up to 23.68%, high impact strength and hardness.

The composite materials can be applied as potential lightweight materials in automobile components.

Experimentally it is found that with addition of Al- SiC reinforcement particles, the composite

exhibited lower wear rate compared toAl-Al2O3 composites.

Zhang Peng et al. [7] studied the Effects of\ Particle Clustering on the flow behavior of Sic particle

reinforced AlMMCs. The results revealed that during the tensile deformation, the particle clustering

has greater effects on the mechanical response of the matrix than the elastic response and also the

plastic deformation is affected very much. The particle particle clusteringmicrostructurewill

experience higher percentage of particle fracture than particle random distribution.

Tzamtzis et al. [8] suggested processing Al/ SiC particulate MMCs under intensive shearing by novel

Rheo-process. The current processing methods such as conventional stir casting technique often

produce agglomerated particles in the ductile matrix and as a result these composites exhibit extremely

low ductility. Whereas the Rheo-process significantly improved the distribution of the reinforcement



in the matrix by allowing the application of sufficient shear stress (s) on particulate clusters embedded

in liquid metal to overcome the average cohesive force or the tensile strength of the cluster.

Palanikumar and Karthikeyan [9] and [10] assessed the factors influencing surface roughness on the

machining of Al/SiC particulate composites. The parameters like feed rate, cutting speed, %volume

fraction of SiC were optimized to attain minimum surface roughness using response graph, response

table, normal probability plot, interaction graphs and analysis of variance (ANOVA) technique. Feed

rate is the factor, which has greater influence on surface roughness, followed by cutting speed and

%volume fraction of SiC. The recommended machining conditions are low cutting speed with high

feed rate and depth of cut for rough and medium turning process. Using coated carbide cutting tool,

high cutting speed and low feed rate produces better surface finish.

Yanming and Zhou Zehua [11] investigated about the tool wear and its mechanism for cutting SiC mints

shows that the major damage mechanism is abrasive wear on tool flank edge for conventional tools

and brittle failure for high hardness tools in the cutting the composites. The major factors affecting

tool life are volume fraction of SiC and its size in the composite.

IV. ALUMINIUM OXIDE REINFORCED AMC

Park et al. [12] investigated the effect of Al2O3 in Aluminium for volume fractions varying from5-

30% and found that the increase in volume fraction of Al2O3 decreased the fracture toughness of the

MMC. This is due to decrease in inter-particle spacing between nucleated micro voids.

Park et al. [13] investigated the high cycle fatigue behavior of 6061 Al-Mg-Si alloy reinforced Al2O3

microspheres with the varying volume fraction ranging between 5%and 30%. They found that the

fatigue strength of the powder metallurgy processed composite was higher than that of the unreinforced

alloy and liquid metallurgy processed composite.

Abhishek Kumar et al. [14] experimentally investigated the characterization ofA359/Al2O3MMC using

electromagnetic stir casting method. They found that the hardness and tensile strength of MMC

increases and electromagnetic stirring action produces MMC with smaller grain size and good

particulate matrix interface bonding.

Abouelmagd [15] studied the hot deformation and wear resistance of powder metallurgy aluminium

metal matrix composites. It was found that the addition ofAl2O3 andAl4C3 increases the hardness and

compressive strength. The addition ofAl4C3 improved the wear resistance of the MMC.

V. BORON CARBIDE REINFORCED AMC

BoYao et al. [16] investigated the tri modal aluminium metal matrix composites and the factors

affecting its strength. The test result shows that the attributes like nano-scale dispersoids ofAl2O3,

crystalline and amorphous AlN and Al4C3, high dislocation densities in both NC-Al and CG-Al

domains, interfaces between different constituents, and nitrogen concentration and distribution leads

to increase in strength.

Vogt et al. [17] studied the cry milled aluminium alloy and boron carbide nano-composite plates made

in three methods, (1) hot isocratic pressing (HIP) followed by high strain rate forging (HSRF), (2) HIP

followed by two-step quasi-isocratic

forging (QIF), and (3) three-step QIF. The test results showed that the HIP/HSRF plate exhibited

higher strength with less ductility than the QIF plates, which had similar mechanical properties. The

increased strength and reduced ductility of the HIP/ HSRF plate is attributed to the inhibition of

dynamic recrystallization during the high strain rate forging procedure.



Mahesh Babu et al. [18] investigated the characteristics of surface quality on machining hybrid

aluminium-B4C-SiC metal matrix composites using taguchi method. It was found that feed rate was

the most important parameter followed by the cutting speed. Moreover it was concluded that the feed

rate does not have a significant effect on surface quality.

Barbara Previtali et al. Investigated the effect of application of traditional investment casting process

in aluminium metal matrix composites. Aluminium alloy reinforced with SiC andB4C were compared

and the experiments showed the the wear resistance of SiC reinforced MMC is higher than that of B4C

reinforced MMC.

VI. FIBER RE I NFORCED AM C

Sayman et al. [19] studied the elastic plastic stress analysis of aluminium and stainless steel fiber and

found that under 30 MPa pressure and at a temperature of 600ºC, good bonding between matrix and

fiber was observed, moreover increase in the load carrying capacity of the laminated plate was also

visualized.

Onur Sayman [20] analysed the elastic-plastic thermal stress on steel fiber reinforced Aluminium metal-

matrix composite beams and found that the intensity of the residual stress and the equivalent plastic

strain are greatest at 0ºorientation angle and concluded that the higher the orientation angle the lower

the temperature that causes plastic yielding.

CesimAtas andOnur Sayman [21] reported that for steel fiber reinforced AlMMC plates, yielding begin

at the edge of the laminated plates. They found that the yielding does not occur at the corner of the

plate.

Ding et al. [22] investigated the low cycle fatigue behavior of the pure Al reinforced with 20%Al2O3

fiber in total strain controlled mode. They found that the predicted fatigue lives coincide with the

observed fatigue lives over a wide range of strain amplitudes for a wide range of test temperatures.

However, the predicted fatigue live coincide best with the observed fatigue lives only at the large levels

of cyclic plastic strain and total strain.

Ding et al. [23] investigated the behavior of the unreinforced 6061 aluminium alloy and short fiber

reinforced 6061Al alloy MMC. They found that the addition of high-strengthAl2O3 fibres in the 6061

aluminium alloy matrix will not only strengthen the microstructure of the 6061 aluminium alloy, but

also channel deformation at the tip of a crack into the matrix regions between the fibers and therefore

constrain the plastic deformation in the matrix which leads in reduction of fatigue ductility.

Woei-Shyan Lee et al. [24] studied the effects of strain rate on the properties and fracture behavior of

laminated Carbon fiber reinforced 7075-T6Aluminiumalloyand found that the flow stress increases

with strain rate, but decreases with temperature. Work hardening rate decreases with increase n strain

and temperature. A greater density of Al debris and fiber fracture was found at high strain rate for all

temperature.

Gudena and Hall [25] studied the high strain rate compressive deformation behavior of a continuous

Al2O3 fiber reinforced AlMMC tested in the longitudinal and transverse direction and found that in

transverse direction, the composite exhibit strain rate similar to that of monolithic alloy.



Rams et al. [26] studied the electro less nickel coated fiber reinforced Aluminium matrix composites

and found that the wettabiliy of the composite increases. This wet ability enhancement and reduced

damage on the fiber is due to Ni-Al-Transient intermetallic layer that is formed due to heating.

Shi et al. [27] studied the morphology and interfacial characteristics of aluminum matrix

composites reinforced with the diamond fiber. The composite exhibit high thermal conductivity and

low thermal expansion coefficient. Pressure-less metal infiltration process results in good bonding

between the diamond fibers and the aluminium-matrix.

Hui-Hui Fu et al. [28] investigated the wear properties of three AMC namely Saffil/Al, Saffil/Al2O3/Al

and Saffil/SiC/Al on a pin-on-disk friction and wear tester. Under dry sliding condition, Saffil/SiC/Al

showed the best wear resistance under high temperature and high load while the wear resistance of

Saffil/Al and Saffil/Al2O3/Al was similar. The investigation indicated that under lubricated condition,

with the lubricant of liquid paraffin, Saffil/ Al shows the best wear resistance and the wear resistance

of Saffil/ Al2O3/Al is better than that of Saffil/SiC/Al under roomtemperature, but under high

temperature, its vice-versa.

VII. TECHNIQUES EMPLOYED IN FABRICATION

a) LIQUID STATE FABRICATIONS OF METAL MATRIX COMPOSITES

Stir casting: In stir casting, a dispersed phase (ceramic particles, short fibers) is mixed with a molten

metal matrix by means of mechanical stirring. In a recent development in stir casting is a two-step

mixing process. The matrix material is heated to above its liquids temperature so that the metal is

totally melted. The melt is then cooled down to a temperature between the liquids and solidus points

and kept in a semi-solid state. At this stage, the preheated particles are added and mixed. The slurry is

again heated to a fully liquid state and mixed thoroughly. The effectiveness of this two-step processing

method is mainly attributed to its ability to break the gas layer around the particle surface.

Fig. 7.1.1 Schematic view of setup for Fabrication of Composite

1. Motor

2. Shaft

3. Molten Aluminum

4. Thermocouple

5. Particle Injection Chamber

6. Insulation Hard Board

7. Furnace

8. Graphite Crucible



Marlon Jones Louis carried his research work on composite material based on aluminum alloy (Al

2024) reinforced with 10% volume fraction of Silicon Carbide Particulates (SiC) and 5 % volume

fraction of Graphite particles produced by stir casting method. The experimental results were

compared with the conventional Aluminium 2024 where one can see that the composite material plays

a dominant role than the Aluminium 2024 with respect to its strength, ductility and hardness. Dynamic

analysis is a very important investigation when it comes to the composite materials, where these can

exhibit diversity in material properties as well as shapes. The main idea of this work is to perform

analysis which gives the information about cracks and the locations of the damages on composite

materials. (marlon, 2014)

Compo casting: Compo casting is a liquid state process in which reinforcement particles are added to

a solidifying melt while being vigorously agitated. It has been shown that the primary solid particles

already formed in the semisolid slurry can mechanically entrap the reinforcing particles, prevent their

gravity segregation and reduce their agglomeration. These will result in better distribution of the

reinforcement particles. The lower porosity observed in the castings has been attributed to the better

wet ability between the matrix and the reinforcement particles as well as the lower volume shrinkage

of the matrix alloy.

Niroumand et.al states that in synthesis and characterization of 356-SiCp composites by stir casting

and compocasting methods. 356-5%SiCp (volume fraction) composites, with average SiCp sizes of

about 8 and 3 μm, were produced by injection of different forms of the reinforcement particles into

fully liquid as well as semisolid slurries of 356 aluminum alloy and the effects of the injected

reinforcement form and the casting method on distribution of the reinforcement particles as well as

their porosity, hardness and impact strength were investigated. It increases the hardness and the impact

energy of the composites and decreases their porosity. (niroumand, 2010)

Squeeze Casting : Squeeze Casting Infiltration or pressure die infiltration – is a forced infiltration

method of liquid phase fabrication of Metal Matrix Composites, using a movable mould part (ram) for

applying pressure on the molten metal and force it to penetrate into a preformed dispersed phase,

placed in the lower fixed mould part.

G. N. Lokesh et. al. studied the effect of hardness, tensile, compression and impact properties as well

as density. The Al-4.5% Cu (by weight) alloy was chosen as base matrix casted by both stir and squeeze

casting. Fly ash is one of the most inexpensive and low density reinforcement available in large

quantities as solid waste is used as reinforcement. The Al-4.5wt%Cu reinforced 3, 6, 9 and 12wt%fly

ash composite was squeeze casted with an applied pressure of 120MPa. The results showed that

hardness tensile compression and impact values were increased by increasing weight percentage of fly

ash reinforcements during squeeze casting. Porosity and other casting defects such as shrinkage

cavities were minimized due to pressure applied during solidification. Increase in weight percentage

of fly ash composites caused to increase porosity even in squeeze casting but lesser than gravity cast

matrix alloy. Microstructure shows the absence of micro porosity, and grain refinement interfacial

bond between matrix and reinforcement. (GN Lokesh, 2013)

Spray Deposition: This technique typically consists of winding fibers onto a foil-coated drum and

spraying molten metal onto them to form a mono tape. The source of molten metal may be powder or

wire feedstock which is melted in a flame, arc, or plasma torch.

In-situ Fabrication of Metal Matrix Composites: In-situ synthesis is a process wherein the

reinforcements are formed in the matrix by controlled metallurgical reactions. During fabrication, one

of the reacting elements is usually a constituent of the molten matrix alloy. The other reacting elements



may be either externally-added fine powders or gaseous phases. One of the final reaction products is

the reinforcement homogeneously dispersed in matrix alloy. This kind of internally-produced

reinforcement has many desirable attributes. For example, it is more coherent with the matrix and has

both a finer particle size and a more homogenous distribution. However, the process requires that the

reaction system be carefully screened. (christy, 2010)

Manas Mohan Mahapatra et. al carried out research work on addition of reinforcement such as TiC,

SiC, Al2O3, TiO2, TiN, etc. to Aluminium matrix for enhancing the mechanical properties has been a

well-established fact. In-sit method of reinforcement of the Aluminium matrix with ceramic phase like

Titanium Carbide (TiC) is well preferred over the Ex-sit method. In the present investigation, Al-Cu

alloy (series of 2014 Aluminium alloy) was used as matrix and reinforced with TiC using In-sit

process. The Metal Matrix Composite (MMC) material, Al-.5%Cu/10%TiC developed exhibits higher

yield strength, ultimate strength and hardness as compared to Al-4.5%Cu alloy. Percentage increase

in yield and ultimate tensile strengths were reported to be about 15% and 24% respectively whereas

Vickers hardness increased by about 35%. The higher values in hardness indicated that the TiC

particles contributed to the increase of hardness of matrix. (manas, 2012)

Ultrasonic assisted casting: It combines solidification processes with ultrasonic cavitation based

dispersion of nanoparticles in metal melts. Ultrasonic cavitation can produce transient (in the order of

nanoseconds) micro‚ hot spots that can have temperatures of about 5000ºC,pressures above 1000 atms,

and heating and cooling rates above 1010 K/s . The strong impact coupling with local high

temperatures can potentially break the nanoparticle clusters and clean the particle surface. Since the

nanoparticle clusters are loosely packed to gather, air could be trapped inside the voids in the clusters

which will serve as nuclei for cavitation. The size of clusters ranges from nano to micro due to the

attraction force among nanoparticles and the poor wettability between the nano particles and metal

melt. (suslick, 1999)

Jain P. K. et. al prepared the composites by ultrasonic cavitation assisted fabrication and investigate

the effect of selected nanomaterials (SiC, B4C, CNTs) on the microstructure and mechanical properties

of composite, a new method is used to avoid agglomeration and segregation of particles. Then, tensile

specimens with different weight fractions of nanomaterials are cast and tested. The microstructure of

the composites is investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). (Jain, 2009)

SOLID STATE FABRICATION OF METAL MATRIX COMPOSITES

Powder Metallurgy (PM route): Powder metallurgy is the process of blending fine powdered

materials, pressing them into a desired shape (compacted), and then heating the compressed material

in a controlled atmosphere to bond the material (sintering). The powder metallurgy process generally

consists of four basic steps: (1) powder manufacture, (2) powder mixing and blending, (3) compacting,

(4) sintering. Compacting is generally performed at room temperature, and the elevated-temperature

process of sintering is usually conducting at atmospheric pressure. Optional secondary processing

often follows to obtain special properties or enhanced precision.

C.S. Verma et. al. Al-SiCp composites with 5 to 30 weight % of SiCp were fabricated using powder

metallurgy process. The density, porosity, hardness, compressive strength and indirect tensile strength

of Al-SiCp composites were found to increase with increase in the wt. % of SiCp from 5 to 30 weight

percent. Mechanical alloying of powders resulted in improvement in hardness and compressive

strength of Al –SiCp composites with 5 to 30 weight % of SiCp. (verma, 2012)



Diffusion bonding It is a common solid-state processing technique for joining similar or dissimilar metals. Inter diffusion

of atoms between clean metallic surfaces, in contact at an elevated temperature, leads to bonding. It is

also used for fabrication of MMC. The principal advantage of this technique is the ability to process a

wide variety of metal matrices and control of fiber orientation and volume fraction.

Friction Stir Process: FSP is a solid state processing technique to obtain a fine-grained

microstructure. This is carried out using the same approach as friction stir welding (FSW), in which a

non-consumable rotating tool with a specially designed pin and shoulder is plunged into the interface

between two plates to be joined and traversed along the line of the joint. Localized heating is produced

by the friction between the rotating tool and the work piece to raise the local temperature of the material

to the range where it can be plastically deformed easily. It is well known that the stirred zone consists

of fine and equiaxed grains produced due to dynamic recrystallization. Though FSP has been basically

advanced as a grain refinement technique, it is a very attractive process for also fabricating surface

Composites.

C. Maxwell Regil et. al. carried out the FSP at a tool rotational speed of 1600 rpm, traverse speed of

60 mm/min and axial force of 8 KN. Two passes were applied in opposite directions. The

microstructure and sliding wear behavior of the fabricated SCLs were evaluated. TiC and B4C particles

were distributed homogeneously in the SCLs. Both the particles behaved as one type of reinforcement

particle during FSP.

Comparison of metal matrix composites fabrication techniques

Liquid state fabrication route

S.N

o

MMC

fabrication

route

Inference

Applications

Cost

Aspects

1. Stir casting

Depends on material

properties and process

parameters. Suitable for

particulate reinforcement

in AMC.

Applicable to large quantity production.

Commercial method of producing

aluminium based composites.

Least

expensive

2. Squeeze casting

Pertinent applicable to any

type of reinforcement and

suitable for mass

production.

Used in automotive industry and

aeronautical industry for producing

different components like pistons,

connecting rods, rocker arms, cylinder

heads, front steering knuckle, cylindrical

components etc

Moderate

3.

Compo casting

(or) Rheocasting

Apt for discontinuous

fibres, particularly suitable

for particulate

reinforcement. Lower

porosity is observed.

Used in automotive, aerospace industry ,

manufacturing industry.

Least

expensive

4.

Liquid metal

infiltration

Filament type

reinforcement normally

used.

Production of tubes, rods, structural

shapes and structural beams.

Moderate/

Expensive



5.

In-situ (reactive)

processing

Good reinforcement/

matrix compatibility,

homogeneous distribution

of the reinforcing particles.

Automotive applications.

Expensive

6. Spray casting

Particulate reinforcement

used and used to produce

full density materials

Cutting and grinding tools, electrical

brushes and contacts.

Moderate

7.

Ultrasonic

assisted casting

Nearly uniform

distribution and good

dispersion

Mass production and net shape

fabrication of complex

Expensive

8.2 SOLID STATE FABRICATION ROUTE

S.No

MMC

fabrication

route

Inference

Applications

Cost

Aspects

1.

Powder

Metallurgy

(PM route)

Both matrix and

reinforcements used in powder

form.

Best for particulate

reinforcement.

Production of small objects

(especially round), bolts, pistons,

valves, high-strength and heat-

resistant materials.

Vast applications in automotive,

aircraft, defense, sports and

appliance industries.

Moderate

2.

Diffusion

bonding

Handles foils or sheets of matrix

and filaments of reinforcing

element.

Manufacture sheets, blades, vane,

shafts, structural components.

Expensive

3.

Vapour

deposition

techniques

PVD coatings are sometimes

harder and more corrosion resistant

than coatings applied by the

electroplating process.

Aerospace, Automotive,

Surgical/Medical Dies and moulds

for all manner of material

processing.

Cutting tools, Firearms Optics

Watches, Thin films (window tint,

food packaging, etc.)

Moderate

4.

Friction

Process

Stir Used as surface modification

process.

Increase in micro hardness of the

surface, significant improvement in

wear resistance.

In Automotive and Aerospace

applications.

Moderate/

Expens

VIII. CONCLUSION

The paper has provided a literature review on machining of particulate Aluminium metal matrix

composites. Tremendous attempts have been made in the machining of AMMCs. The process

remains still challenging due to the distribution and orientation of reinforcement in the matrix and

non-homogeneous and anisotropic nature of composite as a whole. By suitably selecting the

machining parameters, machining of AMMC can be made economical.

This review presents the views, theoretical and experimental results obtained and conclusions made

over the years by varies investigators in the field of aluminium alloy – MMCs. A considerable amount

of interest in Al-MMCs evinced by researchers from academics and industries has helped in



conduction of various studies and has enriched our knowledge about the processing of Aluminium

Alloy composites, their physical properties, mechanical properties.

1) It has been observed that among all the fabrication techniques considered, stir casting stands out

as the most economical method.

2) Mechanical alloying of powder result in improvement in hardness, compressive strength and

indirect tensile strength of Al-SiCp composites with 5 to 30 weight percent of SiC particulates.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors expressing profuse gratitude to those who gave abundance support to make this research

work accomplished to my Beloved Parents and Dr. Manoj Kumar Pandey – Director , SRM

Uiversity NCR Campus and Mr. Freedon Daniel HOD- SRM University NCR Campus.

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