Investigation of microstructure, mechanical properties, and wear behavior of A380 aluminum nanocomposite reinforced with SiC nanoparticles produced by powder metallurgy

In this study, the effect of adding SiC nanoparticles and heat treatment on the mechanical properties and wear behavior of A380 aluminum alloy was investigated. Al A380 aluminum powder and SiC nanoparticles with values (0, 0.5, 1, and 2% wt%) were milled in a planetary ball mill with balls of different diameters (4–10 mm) in an argon atmosphere for 10 hours. After the milling process, a hot press (510°C) was used to produce the samples. The microstructure, mechanical properties, and wear behavior of the samples were examined using an optical and scanning electron microscope (SEM), micro Vickers hardness test, and pin-on-disk test, respectively. To investigate the effect of heat treatment, the samples were placed in a furnace at 530°C for 3 hours, then the sample was quenched with boiling water, then placed in a furnace at 175°C for 16 hours, and then by micro Vickers hardness device, the hardness of the samples were measured. The best hardness of the samples was related to aluminum alloy with 0.5 wt% of SiC nanoparticles. Also, after heat treatment, the hardness of the samples increased significantly. Al A380 2wt% SiC nanocomposite sample represents the greatest wear properties when compared with the other experiment samples.