Mechanical properties and rapid consolidation of binderless nanostructured tantalum carbide

Improving the mechanical durability and wear resistance of aluminum alloys is a research challenge that can be solved by their reinforcement with ceramics. This article is concerned with the improvement of the mechanical properties and wear resistance of the AA2024 aluminum alloy surface. Surface composites were prepared by incorporating a hybrid of heavy particles (tantalum carbide (TaC), light nanoparticles, and boron nitride (BN)) into the AA2024 alloy using the friction stir process (FSP) approach. Three pattern holes were milled in the base metal to produce the composites with different volume fractions of the reinforcements. The effects of the FSP and the reinforcements on the microstructure, mechanical properties, and wear resistance are investigated. In addition to the FSP, the reinforced particles contributed to greater grain refinement. The rolled elongated grains became equiaxed ultrafine grains reaching 6 ± 1 µm. The refinement and acceptable distribution in the reinforcements significantly improved the hardness and wear resistance of the produced composites. Overall, the hardness was increased by 60% and the wear resistance increased by 40 times compared to the base alloy.

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The Effects of HIP, Solution Heat Treatment and Aging Treatments on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Sintering Cobalt-Based Alloys Strengthened with Tantalum Carbide Additives

MATERIALS TRANSACTIONS ◽

10.2320/matertrans.m2014066 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 55 (11) ◽

pp. 1755-1761 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Shih-Hsien Chang ◽

Chien-Chung Chen

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Heat Treatment ◽

Solution Heat Treatment ◽

Tantalum Carbide ◽

Microstructure And Mechanical Properties

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Effect of SiC Nanowhisker on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of WC-Ni Cemented Carbide Prepared by Spark Plasma Sintering

The Scientific World JOURNAL ◽

10.1155/2014/673276 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2014 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Xiaoyong Ren ◽

Zhijian Peng ◽

Zhiqiang Fu ◽

Chengbiao Wang

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Spark Plasma Sintering ◽

Tantalum Carbide ◽

Uniaxial Pressure ◽

Cemented Carbides ◽

X Ray Diffraction ◽

Microstructure And Mechanical Properties ◽

Plasma Sintering ◽

Spark Plasma ◽

Microscopy Examination

Ultrafine tungsten carbide-nickel (WC-Ni) cemented carbides with varied fractions of silicon carbide (SiC) nanowhisker (0–3.75 wt.%) were fabricated by spark plasma sintering at 1350°C under a uniaxial pressure of 50 MPa with the assistance of vanadium carbide (VC) and tantalum carbide (TaC) as WC grain growth inhibitors. The effects of SiC nanowhisker on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the as-prepared WC-Ni cemented carbides were investigated. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that during spark plasma sintering (SPS) Ni may react with the applied SiC nanowhisker, forming Ni2Si and graphite. Scanning electron microscopy examination indicated that, with the addition of SiC nanowhisker, the average WC grain size decreased from 400 to 350 nm. However, with the additional fractions of SiC nanowhisker, more and more Si-rich aggregates appeared. With the increase in the added fraction of SiC nanowhisker, the Vickers hardness of the samples initially increased and then decreased, reaching its maximum of about 24.9 GPa when 0.75 wt.% SiC nanowhisker was added. However, the flexural strength of the sample gradually decreased with increasing addition fraction of SiC nanowhisker.

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