A Comparative Study on Permanent Mold Cast and Powder Thixoforming 6061 Aluminum Alloy and Sicp/6061Al Composite: Microstructures and Mechanical Properties

Xuezheng Zhang; Tijun Chen; He Qin

doi:10.3390/ma9060407

journal article Open Access May 24, 2016

A Comparative Study on Permanent Mold Cast and Powder Thixoforming 6061 Aluminum Alloy and Sicp/6061Al Composite: Microstructures and Mechanical Properties

Xuezheng Zhang Tijun Chen He Qin

Materials Vol. 9 No. 6 pp. 407 · MDPI AG

View at Publisher Save 10.3390/ma9060407

Abstract

Microstructural and mechanical characterization of 10 vol% SiC particles (SiCp) reinforced 6061 Al-based composite fabricated by powder thixoforming (PTF) was investigated in comparison with the PTF and permanent mold cast (PMC) 6061 monolithic alloys. The results reveal that the microstructure of the PMC alloy consists of coarse and equiaxed α dendrites and interdendritic net-like eutectic phases. However, the microstructure of the PTF composite, similar to that of the PTF alloy, consists of near-spheroidal primary particles and intergranular secondarily solidified structures except SiCp, which are distributed in the secondarily solidified structures. The eutectics amount in the PTF materials is distinctly lower than that in the PMC alloy, and the microstructures of the former materials are quite compact while that of the latter alloy is porous. Therefore, the PTF alloy shows better tensile properties than the PMC alloy. Owing to the existence of the SiC reinforcing particles, the PTF composite attains an ultimate tensile strength and yield strength of 230 MPa and 128 MPa, representing an enhancement of 27.8% and 29.3% than those (180 MPa and 99 MPa) of the PTF alloy. A modified model based on three strengthening mechanisms was proposed to calculate the yield strength of the PTF composite. The obtained theoretical results were quite consistent with the experimental data.

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References

Details

Published: May 24, 2016
Vol/Issue: 9(6)
Pages: 407
License: View

Authors

X

Xuezheng Zhang

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

T

Tijun Chen

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

H

He Qin

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

Funding

Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University of China Award: NCET-10-0023

Basic Scientific Fund of Gansu Universities Award: G2014-07

Program for Hongliu Outstanding Talents of Lanzhou University of Technology Award: 2012-03

Cite This Article

Xuezheng Zhang, Tijun Chen, He Qin (2016). A Comparative Study on Permanent Mold Cast and Powder Thixoforming 6061 Aluminum Alloy and Sicp/6061Al Composite: Microstructures and Mechanical Properties. Materials, 9(6), 407. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma9060407

A Comparative Study on Permanent Mold Cast and Powder Thixoforming 6061 Aluminum Alloy and Sicp/6061Al Composite: Microstructures and Mechanical Properties

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