Powder Technology, Vol.339, 809-816, 2018
Influence of length-scale on stabilization of boron carbide in Al-based metal matrix composites during plasma activated sintering
We reported an investigation of the influence of length scale on stabilization of boron carbide (B4 C) during plasma activated sintering. In the current work, AA7075/B4 C powders containing two types of B4 C particles (Micro-B4 C and Nano-B4 C) were cryomilled for 8 h in liquid nitrogen, respectively. The characterization of as-cryomilled powders indicated that both Micro-B4 C particles and Nano-B4 C particles could distribute homogeneously in the matrix. AA7075/Nano-B4 C powder have a finer particle size and grain size relative to that of the AA7075/Micro-B4 C powder. The influence of length scale on stabilization of B4 C particles during plasma activated sintering was investigated in details. The statistical grain diameter analysis from transmission electron microscopy observation revealed that the grain size of AA7075/Nano-B4 C bulk (similar to 77.4 nm) is finer relative to those of the AA7075 bulk (similar to 193.5 nm) and AA7075/Micro-B4 C bulk (similar to 184.7 nm). The coupling effect of ex-situ Nano-B4 C particles and in-situ dispersion particles contribute to the enhancement of the stabilization of the AA7075/Nano-B4 C bulk. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.