Effect of conventional and microwave sintering on the microstructural and mechanical properties of AA7075/SiC/ZrC hybrid MMCs through powder metallurgy route

ABSTRACT

In this work, AA7075/SiC/ZrC hybrid metal matrix composite was successfully fabricated by powder metallurgy route. The influence of conventional and microwave sintering on the microstructural and mechanical properties of the composites were investigated. SEM, XRD and XRF Analysis were used to investigate the microstructure of the samples. The compression strength and hardness were determined using a Universal Testing Machine and Rockwell Hardness setup respectively. It can be concluded that the specimen which is fabricated with a reinforcement of 15% SiC and 3% ZrC with microwave sintering shows the best mechanical characteristics with hardness reaching 92HRB, a compression strength of 200 MPa and better microstructural property than the conventionally sintered specimens. This work has applications in the aerospace and automotive industries for the manufacturing of composite materials that can endure high temperatures.

Keywords
Hybrid metal matrix composite; Powder metallurgy; XRF analysis; Ball milling; Microwave sintering

1. INTRODUCTION

Aerospace and automotive components require parts to be made of high strength, ductility and structural integrity along with good corrosion resistance. Aluminium hybrid composites are the most sought after material for fulfilling the above said needs. Al7075 composites are widely investigated for their ability to be successfully used in the automotive and aviation industry. The reinforcements tried out have been Boron carbide, Silicon carbide, Graphene, Tungsten carbide, Boron nitride and Silicon nitride which had been reinforced in a matrix phase consisting of Aluminum, Magnesium and Titanium [¹,²,³,⁴,⁵,⁶,⁷]. Al matrix composites have been fabricated using a variety of techniques, including stir casting, powder metallurgy, mechanical milling and mechanical alloying. Production methods offer variability based on the reinforcement and matrix choices. The three categories of production techniques of Aluminium is by using the matrix material in the solid, liquid, and semi–solid state. The best mechanical properties of MMCs are typically achieved via solid state methods, especially in discontinuous MMCs. This is because these processes have lesser segregation effects and formation of intermetallic phase, compared to liquid state processes. Powder metallurgy is being used widely for the fabrication of aluminum metal matrix composites and also particle reinforced composites [⁸, ⁹]. A popular method is to completely replace the current structural material with one that has a higher yield strength, maybe with the addition of reinforcements. Due to the high cost of the components or even merely minimally complex shape, introducing lesser weight and high–performing metal–matrix composites for the automotive and aerospace industries has proven challenging. Despite a number of technical issues, powder metallurgy can be the key technology to solve these issues. The uniform distribution of reinforcements into the matrix phase is a major issue which has its consequence in the final quality of the part. The needed qualities of continuous reinforced aluminium metal–matrix composites include low density, high specific stiffness and strength, controlled thermal expansion, resistance to increased fatigue, and outstanding dimensional fastness at very high temperatures. The most common matrix–composite technique uses silicon carbide and other solid–carbide particles to reinforce an aluminium alloy [¹⁰, ¹¹]. Ball milling is a widely used technique in powder metallurgy processing which helps to equally distribute the reinforcing particles in matrix material. Due to their high surface to volume ratios and surface energy, nanoscale reinforcements are more difficult to distribute in matrix materials than microscale reinforcements. While the ball milling process causes cold welding action between balls and powder particles, which results in larger particle sizes, subsequent collisions also cause strain hardening effects in the cold welded particles, and particle fracture which results in smaller particle sizes [¹²]. Sintering by using Microwave and Spark plasma are the most common sintering techniques performed in the class of powder metallurgy [¹³]. These strategies prevent chemical reactions at the interfaces between the matrix and the reinforcement by using short sintering times and low processing temperatures [¹¹–¹³]. The discharge of spark among adjacent particles result in high temperature plasma areas in Spark Plasma Sintering technique. Solid interface bonds are also created in this method due to the dissolving of oxide layer in the matrix material. The material is densified and the grain development is limited by rapid heating and uniaxial pressing. The SPS process requires the heating rate to be maintained at 50 °C/min. Reduced porosity and strong interface connection are the characteristics of Alumina and Tungsten carbide reinforced nanocomposites when compared to micro composites subjected to SPS [¹⁴]. Intermetallic compound formation during sintering is one of the main issues with composite materials. This phenomenon in hybrid composites was primarily a result of the availability of various reinforcements in high volume fractions. Numerous investigations have shown that non–conventional sintering procedures produce hybrid composites such as Al–Al₂O₃–SiC, Al–CNT–SiC, AA7075–B₄C–ZrC, etc. with better characteristics and very minimal intermetallic compound formation [¹, ¹⁵, ¹⁶]. The best materials for absorbing microwaves include the majority of hard ceramics, like SiC and Al₂O₃. By rapidly oscillating dipoles at microwave frequencies, heat is produced in the material during the microwave sintering process. SiC and other microwave–absorbing reinforcement elements in composites result in a homogeneous heat distribution throughout the composite, acting as an internal heat source. As a result, there are no temperature differences between the surface of the particles and their inner core [¹, ²]. Al–3% Si₃N₄ nanocomposites were fabricated and intriguingly, density values increases and porosity values drops with increase in reinforcement levels. A 72% increase in the compressive strength was achieved when compared to pure Al matrix. Microwave sintering on nano Si₃N₄ particle–reinforced Al composite depicted outstanding mechanical properties. Studies showed that the Al6061–SiC Graphene hybrid composite’s mechanical and tribological properties were significantly improved by the hybrid microwave sintering technique. Vacuum hot pressing and microwave sintering procedures result in good diffusion and densification of composite material. With increasing graphene concentration, there is a tendency for crack initiation and propagation in interface regions, and the development of a solid lubricant layer on the composite’s surface contributes to improved wear qualities [¹⁷, ¹⁸].

This research work examines a hybrid composite made of AA7075, ZrC, and SiC that was exposed to two distinct sintering mechanisms. The main differences between traditionally sintered and microwave–sintered composites with respect to the microstructural, mechanical properties and interface reactions were further investigated [¹, ²]. AA7075 finds application in the manufacturing of parts in Aerospace, Automotive and marine industries. These industries require parts having high strength along with a good thermal conductivity and thermal resistance which is achieved by the addition of SiC and ZrC. The good thermal conductivity of the manufactured composite also make it a suitable candidate for heat sinks in electronic boards [¹⁹, ²⁰]. The novelty of the present work lies in the development of novel AA7075, SiC and ZrC composite and evaluating the mechanical properties of microwave sintered composites.

2. MATERIALS AND METHODS

2.1. Raw materials

The matrix material used was AA7075 alloy (Average particle size 45 μm), with composition as shown in Table. 1. ZrC powder (Average particle size less than 50 μm and purity 99%) and SiC powder (Average particle size less than 30 μm and purity 99.5%) were used as reinforcements due to their unique qualities such as high stiffness, compression strength, refractoriness, and hardness. 15% of SiC with AA7075 has a peak value of mechanical and microstructural properties based on prior literature. ZrC is chosen for experimental purpose to examine the changes in properties of an existing hybrid composite AA7075 and SiC since the results have yielded remarkable and positive outcomes [¹⁹].

Table 1
Chemical composition of AA7075 powder [¹⁹].

ZN	MG	SI	CR	FE	CU	MN	AG	AL
5.22	2.40	0.30	0.19	1.97	1.40	0.20	0.12	Balance

2.2. Composite powder preparation

To achieve consistent dispersion of reinforcing particles, ball milling method was used. 15wt. % SiC and 0, 1, 2 and 3 wt.% ZrC levels were added to the AA7075 matrix material to improve its mechanical properties. Table 2 contains a list of the ball milling settings that were employed in this study to produce uniform reinforcement particle dispersion. To create evenly distributed composite powders, ball milling settings were chosen from earlier research [³, ⁵, ¹⁵, ²¹, ²²] and are shown in Table 2 [²³].

Table 2
Ball milling parameter to prepare composite powders.

PARAMETER	VALUES
Ball to powder ratio	10:1
Ball milling time	2 h
Process control agent (PCA)	Stearic acid
Ball diameter	6 mm
Ball material	High chromium high carbon steel

2.3. Cold compaction and sintering

Powder compacting is the process of using high pressures to compact metal powder in a die. The powders were compacted in a die having diameter 25 mm and height 25 mm using a hydraulic press with an applied pressure of 450 MPa. Zinc stearate is used as lubricant during compaction process. To endure heavy loads during the compaction process, D2 die steel was chosen as the material for the die. For each test, a total of four samples of each composition were created. To perform tensile and compression testing, two different geometries were created. Sintering is the conversion of powder into a solid mass by the application of pressure or heat without allowing the material to reach its melting point. The particles becomes denser after sintering which is mainly due to the change in free energy between the particles, which also leads to reduction in pores. Both conventional and microwave sintering were used as two separate sintering techniques. 600 °C for 120 minutes was the temperature used for conventional sintering, while 500 °C for 30 minutes was used for microwave sintering [¹, ²³].

2.4. Analysis of composites

Four tests were completed for each value that was taken into consideration. Compression tests (ASTM E9) were conducted using the Instron UTM, and a Rockwell hardness machine was utilized to evaluate hardness (ASTM E18). The Densitometer was used to calculate the levels of density. To identify any secondary intermetallic phase formation, XRD analysis was done. For the purpose of examining the microstructure, SEM images were taken. Fabricated samples were polished with emery papers of 220 to 2000 grit before being etched with Keller’s reagent (Mixture of HF 2 ml, HCL 3 ml, HNO₃ 2 ml and distilled water 190 ml) [²⁴, ²⁵].

3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

3.1. Microstructural investigation

The SEM analysis of the composite AA7075/SiC/ZrC is shown in Figure 1. Both traditional and microwave methods are used to sinter the materials. In contrast to conventional sintered composites, which exhibited agglomeration effects, microwave sintered composites had clean surfaces and evenly distributed reinforcing particles. The composite which underwent microwave sintering revealed fine grains and strong interface bonds due to sintering at low temperature and for a minimum time [¹, ²]. This even dispersion resulted in the creation of numerous Al+SiC+ZrC interfaces, which shows that the SiC and ZrC particles’ wettability with the Al matrix is sufficient and has improved the mechanical characteristics. Interface bonding capacity plays a significant role in the process of loading reinforcement particles into the matrix [²⁶]. Strong contact through partial chemical reactions take place among the matrix and the reinforcement particles. At grain borders, the Al₄C₃ secondary phase acts as grain pinning agents, which impede grain expansion [²⁷]. Microstructural study shows that the microwave sintered composite has grains which are smaller when compared to conventionally sintered composite.

Figure 1
SEM images of AA7075/15% SiC/3% ZrC sintered through (a) & (b) conventional technique and (c) & (d) microwave technique.

Surface and interface contamination in sintered composites is attributed to the presence of oxide layers. Due to this, the composite material’s mechanical properties are poor. Thus, it is evident that composites sintered using microwave technology result in densified products with clean surfaces and superior mechanical properties.

3.2. XRD and XRF analysis

The XRD analysis of the AA7075/15% SiC/3% ZrC composite sintered using microwave and conventional techniques are shown in Figure 2. Al is the matrix whereas SiC and ZrC were found to be the reinforcement particles. Furthermore, the presence of SiO₂ depicts the oxidation of the composite material during the sintering process in traditionally sintered composites. While transferring loads, interfaces serve as a bridge between the matrix and reinforcements due to the evolution of brittle intermetallic compounds present in the interface regions. High sintering temperatures and extended sintering periods result in excessive free energy, which leads to the development of intermetallic compounds between matrix and the reinforcement [²⁷, ²⁸]. SiC ceramic particles act as efficient microwave absorbers which generate heat due to the dipoles oscillating at microwave frequencies. The homogeneous heat distribution that results from heat propagating from a particle’s interior to its surface during sintering process aids in the densification and strengthening of composites [²⁹]. Microwave sintering reduces the production of intermetallic compounds, according to the XRD. Due to its internal heat generation phenomena, the particles’ temperature gradient is decreased, and the composite material’s heat is distributed more evenly. In the end, microwave sintering improves the interface bond strength, which in turn improves the mechanical properties of the composite material [³⁰].

Figure 2
XRD analysis of AA7075/15% SiC/3% ZrC sintered through microwave sintered and conventionally sintered.

When a material is bombarded by high energy X ray or gamma ray, secondary X rays are emitted from the material, which is known as X ray fluorescence. This principle is harnessed and employed in the chemical and elemental analysis of mostly metals and ceramics. The results obtained by XRF analysis of AA7075/15% SiC/3% ZrC specimen is shown in Table 3.

Table 3
Percentage of elemental composition obtained by XRF analysis.

COMPOSITION	AL	MG	SI	FE	CU	ZN	ZR
AA7075/15%SiC/3%ZrC	84.99	1.40	9.83	0.28	0.51	2.00	0.93

3.3. Density analysis

The main raw material used in this project was Aluminium alloy 7075 powder, which was reinforced with silicon carbide and zirconium carbide. The composite material was fabricated using powder metallurgy route and reinforced with 15% silicon carbide and 1%, 2%, 3% zirconium carbide, each on a weight basis. Product densities for aluminium metal matrix composites are calculated. Composite density (ρ) = Mass/Volume [⁸]. Additionally, a densitometer was used to calculate the experimental density. Figure 3 displays the difference between theoretical and experimental densities.

Figure 3
Density determination of hybrid MMCs sintered through microwave and conventional methods.

3.4. Mechanical properties

The mechanical characteristics of the AA7075/15%SiC/x%ZrC (x = 0, 1, 2, 3) hybrid composite are shown in Table 4. Previous research studies have shown that 15%SiC content in AA7075 produces enhanced mechanical properties. It is found that the compression strength and the hardness value of the composites increases with increase in reinforcement percentage as shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5. Since Silicon Carbide is a good microwave absorber, the hardness and compression strength increases with increase in % of SiC. It was found that AA7075/15% SiC with ZrC added up to 3% concentration, showed the best mechanical properties with hardness and compression values of 92 HRB and 200 MPa respectively.

Table 4
Mechanical properties of AA7075/15%SiC/3%ZrC hybrid composite sintered through conventional and microwave techniques.

SL.NO	COMPOSITION	COMPRESSION STRENGTH (MPA)		AVARAGE ROCKWELL HARDNESS VALUE (HRB)
		CONVENTIONAL SINTERING	MICROWAVE SINTERING	CONVENTIONAL SINTERING	MICROWAVE SINTERING
1	AA7075/15%SiC	169	179	73	77
2	AA7075/15%SiC/1%ZrC	176	189	80	83
3	AA7075/15%SiC/2%ZrC	184	195	83	89
4	AA7075/15%SiC/3%ZrC	186	200	88	92

Figure 4
Compression strength of hybrid MMCs sintered through microwave and conventional methods.

Figure 5
Average hardness value of hybrid MMCs sintered through microwave and conventional methods.

This improved characteristics can be attributed to the interface bonds that form between the additional reinforcements and the matrix material [¹, ², ¹⁵]. It can be inferred that the improvement in the mechanical properties can be attributed to equal distribution of heat, shorter and optimum sintering temperature and time which decreases defects and also low agglomeration of the prepared composite [³¹].

When compared to conventionally sintered composite, it was found that microwave sintered composite had good mechanical qualities as shown in Figure 4. This is attributed to the reduced defects in microwave sintering compared to conventional sintering process. Low–level agglomerates of ceramic reinforcements in matrix material also produce a significant amount of heat and serve as hotspots in microwave sintering, enabling good interfacial bonds [²⁰–²², ³², ³³].

4. CONCLUSIONS

In this work, investigation of AA7075/15% SiC/0, 1, 2 and 3% ZrC hybrid composite sintered using both microwave and conventional methods. Various characterizations were carried out to determine the benefits of microwave sintering as opposed to traditional sintering. Below are the original findings from this study.

• The microstructural study revealed that the reinforcing particles were distributed uniformly. Conventionally sintered composite had higher levels of porosity compared to microwave sintered composite as the latter had no intermetallic complexes.

• When compared to traditionally sintered composites, composites produced with microwave sintering displayed better mechanical characteristics with compression strength reaching 200 MPa. High hardness values of about 92 HRB are produced by microwave sintered composites with strong interface connections.

• It is found that the compression strength and hardness increases by 11.73% and 19.42% with the addition of 3% ZrC when compared with sample having no ZrC when subjecting the samples to microwave sintering.

• According to the results of this experiment, microwave sintering, which has certain distinct advantages over conventional sintering such as internal heat generation, low sintering temperatures, and short sintering periods, eliminates significant flaws that weaken the qualities of composite materials.

5. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors express their sincere thanks and gratitude to Department of Production Technology, MIT campus, Anna University, Chennai.

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Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  01 Dec 2023
• Date of issue
  2023

History

• Received
  02 Aug 2023
• Accepted
  26 Sept 2023