Advanced Materials Development and Performance (AMDP2011)

International Journal of Modern Physics: Conference Series

Vol. 6 (2012) 628-633
World Scientific Publishing Company
DOI: 10.1142/S2010194512003881

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SINTERING BEHAVIOR OF HYPEREUTECTIC ALUMINUM-SILICON

METAL MATRIX COMPOSITES POWDER
HARIS RUDIANTO1,2, YANG SANG SUN2, KIM YONG JIN2 and NAM KI WOO3
1

Department of URIP of Mechanical Engineering, Pukyong National University, 100 Yongdang dong Nam-gu
Busan, Gyeongsang nam do, 608-739, South Korea
harisrudianto@yahoo.com
2

Powder Technology Research Group, Korea Institute of Materials Science, 531 Changwondaero
Changwon, Gyeongnam 641-831, South Korea

Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pukyong National University, 100 Yongdang dong Nam-gu,
Busan, Gyeongsangnam do, 608-739, South Korea

Lightweight materials of Aluminum-Silicon P/M alloys offer the advantage of high-wear

resistance, high strength, good temperature resistance, and a low coefficient of thermal expansion.
An A359 MMC alloy was mixed together with Alumix 231 in this research. Powders were
compacted with compaction pressure up to 700 MPa. Particle size and compaction pressure
influenced green density. Compacted powders were sintered in a tube furnace under a flowing
nitrogen gas. Sintering temperature, heating rate and sintering time were verified to determine best
sintering conditions of the alloys. Chemical composition also contributed to gain higher sintered
density. Precipitation strengthening method was used to improve mechanical properties of this
materials.T6 heat treatment was carried out to produce fine precipitates to impede movement of
dislocation. The chemical composition of this materials allow for the potential formation of
several strengthening precipitates including (Al2Cu) and (Mg2Si).
Keywords: Aluminum metal matrix composites; Sintering; Mechanical Properties.

1. Introduction
Metal matrix composites (MMC) have received appreciable attention because of the
numerous potential applications in different fields such as in the automotive and
aerospace industries. Al/SiCp composites are MMCs consisting of high strength
aluminum alloys reinforced with hard silicon carbide particles. Their low cost processing
and blend of properties make them good candidates for many structural components with
high stiffness, high strength, high resistance to wear and heat, and low weight [1].
Near net shape manufacturing is generally made by powder metallurgy. At previous
works, successful sintering of aluminum alloys can only be carried out through formation
of a liquid phase that is able to disrupt the extremely stable aluminum oxide film that
always covering aluminum particles. Last research about Alumix 231 that has chemical
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Sintering Behavior of Hypereutectic Aluminum-Silicon Metal Matrix Composites Powder 629

compositions of Al-14Si-2.5Cu-0.5Mg showed high sinterability with reaching sintered

density for over than 97% relative [2-3].
On liquid phase sintering of Aluminum metal matrix composites with SiC as a
reninforcement, the wetability of SiC by Aluminum alloy is important. Study about
possibility formation of Al4C3 which is resulted from reaction between SiC and Al-Si
alloys, is crucial to understand wetting behavior in this alloy. This reaction is generally
deleterious due to poor corrosion resistance and brittleness of Al4C3. Concentration of Si
on the alloy and temperature play important role in this reaction [4].
Sintered of aluminum alloys powder are considered to improve their mechanical
properties by T6 heat treatment. Possible formation of strengthening precipitates during
T6 heat treatment, CuAl2 and Mg2Si are considered to be found on Al-Si-Cu-Mg alloy. In
case of AA2014 has possible another strengthening precipitates, Al2CuMg, but due to
low concentration of Mg in the alloy, CuAl2 is a still dominant strengthening precipitate
in Aluminum alloys. T6 heat treatment which has several stages to form strengthening
precipitates, solution treatment followed by quenching and artificial aging [5-6].
In this research, we tried to optimize sintering condition of A359 alloy and evaluate
the effect of addition of Alumix 231 to the sintered properties. And possibility to improve
mechanical properties with T6 heat treatment.
2. Experimental Method
2.1. Powders
Gas atomized A359 MMC powder was analyzed in this research. A359 MMC has
chemical compositions of Al-9Si-0.5Mg-0.2Cu-0.2Fe-0.2Ti with 20% volume fraction of
SiC(12m). After analyze sinterability of A359 MMC powder, to increase sinterability of
A359 MMC powder, Alumix 231 was added. Alumix 231 was manufactured by Ecka
Granules, Germany that has chemical compositions of Al-14Si-2.5Cu-0.5Mg. Both
powders were mixed together with different ratio, 25%, 50% and 75%. Because of
mixing powders, theoretical density also change.
Table 1. Theoretical density of mixed powders
Powder Compositions
A359 MMC
A359 MMC+25% Alumix 231
A359 MMC+50% Alumix 231
A359 MMC+75% Alumix 231

Theoretical Density (g/cm3)

2.72
2.70
2.69
2.68

2.2. Compaction and Sintering

2.5 g of Powders were compacted at 700 MPa with dual action press. Dimension of green
compact is 16 mm of diameter and 4.8-5 mm of height. Green density was measured
using dimensional measurement. All compacted powders were sintered in tube furnace
under flowing ultra high purity nitrogen gas. Samples were sintered from 550-565oC for 1
hour with 10oC/min heating rate. Before reach sintering temperature, materials were

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dewaxed at 400oC for 30 min. Sintered density was measured by Archimedes method.
Different chemical compositions gave different response to sintered density.

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2.3. Mechanical Properties and Heat Treatment

Rockwell hardness method was carried out to measure mechanical properties of sintered
and heat treated samples. To improve mechanical properties of sintered samples,
precipitation strengthening method was carried out. Hardness Rockwell B and D were
carried out for sintered and T6 heat treated materials with 100 kgf load and 1/16 inch
diameter of diamond ball and brale indenter respectively.
For T6 heat treatment conditions, sintered materials were heated to form solid
solution at 512 C for 30 min, followed by water quenching and artificial aging at 172oC
for 10 hours.
2.4. Characterization of Materials
Optical microscopy and x-ray diffraction analysis were used to characterize the structural
analysis of the samples. The diffraction patterns of samples were achieved by X-ray
diffraction analysis. XRD patterns were obtained using a Rigaku Diffractometer with Cu
K radiation ( = 0.154 nm) in the range of 2 from 20-80o by the step and scanning
speed for 0.02o and 5oC/min.
To characterize thermal properties, differential scanning calorimetriy (DSC) was
carried out. DSC was measured uing SDT-Q600 DSC manufactured by TA instruments.
Powder was heated at a rate of 10oC/min under flowing nitrogen (100ml/min).
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Green Density

Fig. 1(a). Green density of alloy powders, (b) DSC graph of A359 MMC with 75% Alumix 231.

Figure 1 shows effect of chemical compositions of the alloys to the green density. A359
MMC alloy with 75% Alumix 231 gave highest green density for 92% relative. This can
indicate that Alumix 231 improved compressibility of the alloy. According to chemical
composition of Alumix 231 that contains 1.5% wt of wax. Lubricant inside alloy powder

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has important rule to flowability of the powder in order to improve their compressibility
[9].
Due to high compress ability of A359 MMC with 75% Alumix 231, DSC-TGA was
carried out to determine its thermal properties as shown at Fig. 1(b). It has three highest
endothermic peaks starting from 505.33oC 576.64oC. It determines reaction during
sintering. The first peak is supposed to be eutectic reaction between Al and Mg, this stage
is very important to disrupt oxide layer on aluminum to form MgAl2O4 [10-11]. The
second peak is supposed to be eutectic reaction between Al and Cu, followed by eutectic
reaction between Al and Si.
3.2. Sintered Properties

Fig. 2. (a) Sintered density versus sintering temperature of the alloys, (b) Hardness of sintered samples versus
sintering temperature of the alloys.

Compacted samples were subjected to a 1 hour sintering time at various temperature

between 550oC and 565oC under flowing ultra high purity nitrogen gas. Beyond this
range a large increase in sintered density and grain size are occurred. A maximum value
was eventually obtained with a sintering temperature of 560oC for 96.83% relative with
75% Alumix 231.

Fig. 3. Optical microscopy of material with chemical composition of A359 MMC with 75% Alumix 231.

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Mechanical properties of this chemical composition was also highest among them for
almost 100 HRB (Fig. 2(b)). According to research that was done by D. W Herald et al,
Alumix 231 showed high sinterability and highest sintered hardness was 83 HRE [12],
which means, amount of the SiC inside the alloy also improve mechanical properties.
Fig. 3 shows high densified microstructures of A359 MMC with 75% Alumix 231 at
o
560 C sintering temperature. SiC particles are homogenously distributed in A359 MMC
matrix and showed good wettability.

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3.3. Heat Treatment

To improve the mechanical properties of these alloys, T6 heat treatment was carried out.
The chemical compositions of all these samples has possibility to form strengthening
precipitates such as (Al2Cu) and (Mg2Si). It was postulated that phases were formed
during in the state of super saturated solid solution (SSSS) [12] :
SSSS GPZones

(1)

Fig. 4. (a) Hardness of T6 heat treated samples and (b) XRD peak of sintered and T6 heat treated samples.

Fig 4. shows that highest hardness is 50 HRD with wt.75% of Alumix 231. On that
graph also shows that with increasing content of Alumix 231, T6 heat treated hardness
also increased.
On x-ray diffraction analysis showed that CuAl2 was found as dominant
strengthening precipitate of this alloy. Low content of Mg on this alloy contributed not to
be found on this x-ray diffraction analysis. According to intermetallic studies of 6082
Aluminum alloy by G. Mrowka-Nowotnik, formation of Mg2Si was found as a result
from solidification from the liquid followed by binary eutectic reaction [13]
L -Al + Mg2Si

(2)

And Mg2Si was found close to the grain boundary of 6082 Aluminum alloy and appear in
black color.
In case of Al4C3 was not found in both sintered and T6 heat treated materials. Related
to research work of A.C. Ferro and B. Derby that temperature and content of Si have

Sintering Behavior of Hypereutectic Aluminum-Silicon Metal Matrix Composites Powder 633

important role to form Al4C3. Temperature below 1000oC and Si content not exceeds 12
wt.% are enough to avoid formation of Al4C3 [5, 14].

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4. Summary
In this research, there is improvement in sintered properties of A359 MMC with
increasing the amount of Alumix 231. Sintered properties enhanced with increasing
sintering temperature up to 560oC for 1 hour with 75% Alumix 231. At this conditions,
optimum sintered density was 96.83% relative and hardness was 100 HRB.
From x-ray diffraction analysis, in both sintered and T6 heat treated materials, Al4C3
was not found as a secondary reaction in aluminum alloys between Al and SiC. After T6
heat treatment, mechanical properties was improved for 50 HRD. Precipitation
strengthening were shown on XRD graph, and CuAl2 was found as a dominant
strengthening precipitates.
Acknowledgement
This research was supported by a grant from the Fundamental R&D Program for Core
Technology of Materials funded by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, Republic of
Korea.
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