Refinement of microstructure and improvement of mechanical properties of Al/Al2O3 cast composite by accumulative roll bonding process

Some important problems associated with cast metal matrix composites (MMCs) include non-uniformity of the reinforcement particles, high porosity content, and weak bonding between reinforcement and matrix, which collectively result in low mechanical properties. Accumulative roll bonding (ARB) process was used in this study as a very effective method for refinement of microstructure and improvement of mechanical properties of the cast Al/10 vol.% Al2O3 composite. The average particle size of the Al2O3 was 3 μm. The results revealed that the microstructure of the composite after eleven cycles of the ARB had an excellent distribution of alumina particles in the aluminum matrix without any noticeable porosity. The results also indicated that the tensile strength and elongation of the composites increased as the number of ARB cycles increased. After eleven ARB cycles tensile strength and elongation values reached 158.1 MPa and 7.8%, which were 2.54 and 2.36 times greater than those of the as-cast MMC, respectively.