الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract This thesis aims to study the ability of fabrication of metal matrix composites using the centrifuged casting technique. In this work the centrifugal force applied on the molten metal due to its rotation was used to infiltrate it between the ceramic free powder. [AI-A1203] Composite system was chosen to be used in this study, where both materials are mutually nonreactive. Near eutectic [Al12wt7.Si-2wt7.Mg]alloy was selected because of its good fluidity and low melting point. The magnesium was added to enhance the wettability by limited chemical reaction with the alumina. In this work a special apparatus was designed and constructed in order to rotate the specimens, and to allow the molten metal to infiltrate through the alumina powder along the axis of the cylindrical specimen. The processing variables used were as follow: Rotational speed (N) from 700 to 2000 RPM, Centrifugal pressure (P) from 0.34 to 6.92 bar, Alumina powder length inside mould (Lp) from 20 to 60 mm, Powder grain size from 30.8 to 89.8 microns, and Alloy superheat from 20 to 150 K. It is found that the acting centrifugal pressure (P*) plays the major role in determining the resulting composite length and soundness. An entirely uniform distribution of the alumina particles in the aluminium matrix was obtained. It was observed that the alumina particles volume fraction in the resulting composite is always about 571.. The porosity examinations reveals that the microporosity increases gradually along the composite length from the specimen end toward the the axis of rotation from 0.2851. to 3.281. by volume and reaches about 5.841. at the metal/composite interface for the conditions (2000 RPM rotational speed, and 100 K alloy superheat). The metal/ceramic interface was examined using the scanning electron microscope, and a line-scann examination across the interface was made. The effect of both Mg & Si as alloying elements on the interface quality was also investigated. Comparing with matrix average hardness (75 VHN), the hardness measurements indicate an improvement in the composite hardness by an average value 201.. The maximum measured hardness of the resulting composite is ( 93.4 VHN) was obtained for the operating conditions (2000 RPM rotational speed, and 100 K alloy superheat) in the as cast conditions. |