Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of A356 Alloy Reinforced by In Situ (TiB2+ZrB2) Nanoparticles and Sb
Author of the article:WANG Qihang1 , LI Jing1 , HUANG Zhongyue1 , YAN Feng2 , ZU Fangqiu1
Author's Workplace:1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China; 2. Hefei Qiming New Material Technology Development Co., Ltd., Hefei 230031, China
Key Words:in situ (TiB2+ZrB2) nanoparticles; A356 alloy; Sb; microstructure; mechanical properties
Abstract:
In this paper, in situ nanoparticles (TiB2+ZrB2) and Sb are introduced simultaneously into A356 aluminium alloy
to improve the mechanical properties of the material through the synergistic effect arising from the reinforcement of the
matrix by the nanoparticles and the enhancement of particle dispersion by Sb. The introduction of (TiB2+ZrB2) particles
alone has been shown to refine the α-Al matrix and reduce the secondary dendrite arm spacing. However, the presence of
heavy agglomerates in composites can affect their performance. To address this issue, Sb is introduced to reduce the
interfacial energy between the nanoparticles and the Al matrix, leading to a significant improvement in the agglomeration
phenomenon of the nanoparticles. The synergistic introduction of in situ (TiB2+ZrB2) nanoparticles and Sb results in a
substantial increase in the strength and plasticity of the composites compared to those of the A356 matrix. The tensile
strength, yield strength, and elongation of the as-cast composites reach 216.4 MPa, 119.7 MPa, and 7.2%, respectively,
when the introductions of (TiB2+ZrB2) and Sb are 3 wt. % and 0.6 wt. %, respectively, which are 29.7%, 23.5%, and
84.6% greater than the performance of the A356 matrix, respectively.