Abstract
There is strong evidence that the mechanical properties of a cast component can be considerably improved if nanoparticles are used as a reinforcement to form a metal-matrix-nano-composite (MMNC).
In this paper, Al2O3 and SiC nanoparticles reinforced A356 matrix composite castings were fabricated by using ultrasonic technology (UST). The A356 alloy and Al2O3/SiC nanoparticles were used as the matrix alloy and the reinforcement, respectively. Nanoparticles were inserted into the molten metal and dispersed by ultrasonic cavitation and acoustic streaming to avoid agglomeration. The microstructures and mechanical properties of the cast nano-composites were investigated in detail. The results showed that microstructures were greatly refined and with the addition of nanoparticles, tensile strength, yield strength and elongation increased significantly. Since the ultrasonic energy was concentrated in a small region under the ultrasonic probe, it is difficult to ensure proper cavitation and acoustic streaming for efficient dispersion of the nanoparticles without determining the suitable ultrasonic parameters via modeling and simulation. Accordingly, another objective of this paper was to develop well-controlled UST experiments that will be used in the development and validation of an UST dispersion modeling and simulation tool.
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Liu, X., Jia, S. & Nastac, L. Ultrasonic Cavitation-Assisted Molten Metal Processing of Cast A356-Nanocomposites. Inter Metalcast 8, 51–58 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03355591
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03355591