Effect of solution treatment on hardness and wear properties of nanometric Al_2O_3 particulate reinforced Al alloy matrix Composites manufactured by casting

摘要

Nanometric Al_2O_3 particulate reinforced Al alloy Composites bar manufactured by casting were hot compressed to 20% of its height, and solution treated at temperatures of 480 ℃, 490 ℃ 510 ℃ for 3 hours, then aged at a temperature of 120 ℃ for 24 hours. Wear properties and hardness were investigated by wear tester and durometer, and microstructures were observed by optical microscopy. The result shows that the hardness of Al_2O_3 particulate reinforced Al composites increases with increasing solution temperatures, while wear loss and friction coefficient decreases with increasing solution temperatures. Microstructure observation revealed that the Al_2O_3 particulate reinforced Al alloy Matrix composites is of lamellar grain structure and the grain size increases with increasing solution treatment temperatures.