Effects of different carbon sources on the compressive properties of in situ high-volume-fraction TiC_x/2009Al composites

Abstract

Effects of carbon sources, i.e. carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphite, carbon black (C-black), on synthesised TiC_x size, shape and compressive properties of in situ 40–60 vol.-% TiC_x/2009Al composites were investigated. When CNTs and C-black were used, the synthesised TiC_x with particle sizes of 0.08–1 and 0.9–5 µm, respectively, was spherical or nearly spherical in shape, while graphite was used, the synthesised TiC_x with particles sizes of 0.2–2 µm was octahedral or spherical in shape. The yield strength (σ_0.2), ultimate compression strength (σ_UCS) and hardness of TiC_x/2009Al composites all increased with increasing TiC_x content, while the plastic strain (ε) decreased. The σ_0.2, σ_UCS, ε and hardness of 60 vol.-% TiC_x/2009Al composites fabricated by using CNTs were 722 MPa, 946 MPa, 3.2% and 260 ± 10 Hv, respectively. The strength increase of the composites resulted from finer-sized TiC_x particles with spherical shape.

Keywords:

• Different carbon sources
• TiC_x particles
• Morphology
• Composites
• Compressive properties

Acknowledgements

This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NNSFC, No. 51571101), National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program, No. 2012CB619600), the Project supported by the ‘twelfth five-year plan’ Science & Technology Research Foundation of Education Bureau of Jilin Province, China (Grant No. 2015-479), National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51601066 and 51501176), Project (No. 2016174) supported by Graduate Innovation Fund of Jilin University and the Project 985-High Properties Materials of Jilin University.

ORCID

Q.-L. Zhao http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7124-4032