Manufacturing and Evaluation of Mechanical Properties of Aluminum Matrix Composites Reinforced with Continuous Carbon Fibers Using Melting and Casting Process

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Faculty of Materials and Manufacturing Technologies, Malek Ashtar University of Technology, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract
In this research, aluminum reinforced continuous carbon fibre composite, was produced with A356 aluminum alloy and PAN base carbon fibre and carbon felt and then flexural and tensile strength properties has been investigated. For this purpose, at the first carbon fibre were coated with a different thickness of nickel layers by electroless method, and the effect of nickel layer thickness on surface condition and tensile strength of the carbon fibre were investigated. Composite samples with0.3 volume fraction of felt and fiber, were produced using nickel coated and uncoated carbon fibre by squeeze casting method. Samples were made at 30 Mpa applied pressure and the microstructure and flexural and tensile strength of them were investigated. The study of coated carbon fibre’s surface condition, showed that the minimum thickness required to form a continuous coating of nickel on carbon fibre is about 0.5µm. The increment of the thickness of coating layer, decreased the overall strength of the fibre. The study of tensile strength of composite samples made using nickel coated and uncoated carbon felt and fibre, showed that the nickel coating has a strong effect on tensile strength of the composite and causes increment in tensile strength as many as three times. For composite samples made with 0.3 volume fraction of nickel coated carbon fibre and felt, the maximum tensile strength was achieved in 30 Mpa applied pressure in amount of 463 Mpa Which is related to carbon felt.

Keywords


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Volume 3, Issue 4
Winter 2024
Pages 466-490

  • Receive Date 27 November 2023
  • Revise Date 11 December 2023
  • Accept Date 13 December 2023