OPTIMIZATION OF THE MECHANICAL AND TRIBOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF EXTRUDED AMCs: EXTENSION OF THE ALGORITHM SEARCHING AREA VIA MULTI-STRATEGIES

摘要

The present article focuses on the development of a comprehensive method for the optimization of the mechanical and tribological properties of metal-matrix composites using multi-strategy ensemble particle-swarm optimization. An aluminum-alloy matrix reinforced with coated B_4C particles was used for the present study. The cohesion of the reinforcing ceramic particles represents a very important factor, which is mostly poor at temperatures near the melting point of aluminum and leads to the inferior mechanical and tribological properties of the developed aluminum matrix composites with a non -uniform distribution of the reinforcement. The main reason for coating the particles is to improve the bonding between the reinforcement and the molten alloy and thus to eliminate any interfacial reactions. The great enhancement in the strength values of the composites in this study can be ascribed to the effective load-bearing capacity of the disintegrated B4C particles, which are adherently bonded to the matrix alloy. Homogeneity and a reduction in the particle size of the B_4C during the extrusion process is evidenced in the microstructural studies.