Abstracts Book - IMRC 2018

• SE1-P003
CONSOLIDATION AND SINTERING PROCESSES IN AL-CU-MG-WC
COMPOSITES
Gustavo Rodríguez Cabriales 1 , Adam Mauricio Lometo Sánchez 2 , Ivanovich Estrada Guel 1 ,
Carlos Gamaliel Garay Reyes 1 , Maria Cristina Maldonado Orozco 2 , Roberto Martínez Sánchez 1
1 Centro de Investigación en Materiales Avanzados, S.C., Metalurgia e Integridad Estructural,
Mexico. 2 Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, Facultad de Ingeniería, Mexico.
Materials composites have been produced in aluminum alloys, such as 2024
alloy which have been reinforced typically with ceramic materials including SiC,
B 4 C and TiC. These composites have demonstrated to provide a beneficial
combination of stiffness, strength and relative low density. The process of
fabrication by powder metallurgy techniques consists in mixing the hardening
particles with metallic powders followed by consolidation and sintering.
Unfortunately, there is no literature which reports the reinforcement of Al
matrix using refractory metal carbides powders as reinforcements. Tungsten
carbide (WC) is known by its superior hardness, wear and corrosion resistance.
Moreover, there are not studies about Al-based MMC reinforced by WC and
synthetized by mechanical alloying (MA). The process of MA was accomplished
in a high energy mill (Spex-8000) during 3 and 5 h of milling time in an argon
atmosphere. The milling ball-to-powder ratio was 5 to 1, methanol was added
as process control agent. The alloy powders were cold compacted at 1868 MPa.
The samples obtained were sintered at temperatures of 450, 500 and 550 o C,
during 3 h under argon atmosphere. The microstructural characterization was
realized by scanning electron microscopy and structural characterization was
determined by X-ray diffraction. A SEM Hitachi model SU3500 and PANalytical
X’Pert PRO diffractometer was used for different characterizations. The
mechanical performance of the samples was evaluated by Vickers
microhardness in a LM300AT tester. Finally, the density was measured by
Archimedes’ method. The results showed that at longer milling time, the
samples sintered are more porous because of greater deformation hardening
caused by MA process, whereby is more difficult consolidate the samples. In
addition, results of obtained by XRD, Vickers microhardness, density and SEM is
concluded that at 3 h milling time and 450 o C of sintered temperature, the Al-Cu-
Mg-WC composite shows the best mechanical behavior.