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. 2016 May 20;9(5):399.
doi: 10.3390/ma9050399.

Titanium Carbide Nanofibers-Reinforced Aluminum Compacts, a New Strategy to Enhance Mechanical Properties

Khalil Abdelrazek Khalil  1   2 , El-Sayed M Sherif  3   4 , A M Nabawy  5 , Hany S Abdo  6   7   8 , Wagih W Marzouk  9 , Hamad F Alharbi  10
Affiliations

Titanium Carbide Nanofibers-Reinforced Aluminum Compacts, a New Strategy to Enhance Mechanical Properties

Khalil Abdelrazek Khalil et al. Materials (Basel). .

Abstract

TiC nanofibers reinforced Al matrix composites were produced by High Frequency Induction Heat Sintering (HFIHS).The titanium carbide nanofibers with an average diameter of 90 nm are first prepared by electrospinning technique and high temperature calcination process. A composite solution containing polyacrylonitrile and titanium isopropoxide is first electrospun into the nanofibers, which are subsequently stabilized and then calcined to produce the desired TiC nanofibers. The X-ray diffraction pattern and transmission electron microscopy results show that the main phase of the as-synthesized nanofibers is titanium carbide. The TiC nanofibers is then mixed with the aluminum powders and introduced into high frequency induction heat sintering (HFIHS) to produce composites of TiC nanofibers reinforced aluminum matrix. The potential application of the TiC nanofibers reinforced aluminum matrix composites was systematically investigated. 99.5% relative density and around 85 HV (833 MPa) Vickers hardness of the Al reinforced with 5 wt % TiC nanofiber has been obtained. Furthermore, the sample of Al contains 5 wt % TiC, has the highest value of compression and yield strength of about 415 and 350 MPa, respectively. The ductility of the Al/5 wt % TiC showed increasing with increasing the TiC contents.

Keywords: HFIHS; aluminium composites; nanofibers reienforcemnts; titanium carbide.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic diagram of the electrospinning process.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Drying and Calcination process for TiO2/PAN nanofibers mat.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Schematic diagram of high-frequency induction heated sintering apparatus.
Figure 4
Figure 4
SEM images of the as-spun PAN/TTIP nanofibers before calcinations (a) 20 k; and (b) 50 k magnification.
Figure 5
Figure 5
EDX results for PAN/TIIP nanofiber mat befor calcination (a) picked position; (b) elementary analysis.
Figure 6
Figure 6
FTIR spectra of (a) the pure PAN; and (b) the calcined fiber at 1000 °C under argon atmosphere.
Figure 7
Figure 7
XRD patterns of the TiC calcined fiber at 1000 °C under argon atmosphere.
Figure 8
Figure 8
SEM images for TiC nanofiber mat after calcination at 1000 °C.
Figure 9
Figure 9
(a) TEM images for TiC nanofiber mat after calcination at 1000 °C; (b) diffraction pattern.
Figure 10
Figure 10
SEM micrographs of the Al/TiC nanofibers after mixing: (a) 1 wt % TiC; (b) 2 wt % TiC; (c) 3 wt % TiC; (d) 5 wt % TiC with high magnifications.
Figure 11
Figure 11
The 5 major stages of sintering process in the HFIHS machine.
Figure 12
Figure 12
Relative density and Vickers hardness of the Al/TiC nanocomposites with different TiC contents.
Figure 13
Figure 13
Typical stress-strain diagram of the Al/TiC nanocomposites with different TiC contents.
Figure 14
Figure 14
The dependence of yield and compressive strength of Al on the TiC nanofiber contents.
Figure 15
Figure 15
SEM micrographs of fracture surfaces of Al/TiC nanofibers composites: (a) Pure Al; (b) 1 wt % TiC; (c) 2 wt % TiC; (d) 3 wt % TiC; (e) 4 wt % TiC; (f) 5 wt % TiC.
Figure 16
Figure 16
XRD patterns of the Al/TiC nanofibers after HFIHS.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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