Aluminium matrix tungsten aluminide and tungsten reinforced composites by solid-state diffusion mechanism.

Title Aluminium matrix tungsten aluminide and tungsten reinforced composites by solid-state diffusion mechanism.
Authors H. Zhang; P. Feng; F. Akhtar
Journal Sci Rep
DOI 10.1038/s41598-017-12302-w
Abstract

In-situ processing of tungsten aluminide and tungsten reinforced aluminium matrix composites from elemental tungsten (W) and aluminium (Al) was investigated by thermal analysis and pulsed current processing (PCP). The formation mechanism of tungsten aluminides in 80?at.% Al-20 at.% W system was controlled by atomic diffusion. The particle size of W and Al in the starting powder mixture regulated the phase formation and microstructure. PCP of micron sized elemental Al and W resulted in formation of particulate reinforcements, W, AlW and AlW, dispersed in Al matrix. W particles were surrounded by a ~3 ?m thick dual-layer structure of AlW and AlW. The hardness of Al matrix, containing AlW reinforcements, was increased by 50% compared to pure Al, from 0.3?GPa to 0.45?GPa and W reinforcements showed a hardness of 4.35?GPa. On PCP of 80?at.% Al-20 at.% W mixture with particle size of W and Al ~70?nm, resulted in formation of AlW as major phase along with small fractions of AlW and unreacted W phase. This suggested strongly that the particle size of the starting elemental Al and W could be the controlling parameter in processing and tailoring of phase evolution, microstructure of particulate reinforced Al matrix composite.

Citation H. Zhang; P. Feng; F. Akhtar.Aluminium matrix tungsten aluminide and tungsten reinforced composites by solid-state diffusion mechanism.. Sci Rep. 2017;7(1):12391. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-12302-w

Related Elements

Aluminum

See more Aluminum products. Aluminum (or Aluminium) (atomic symbol: Al, atomic number: 13) is a Block P, Group 13, Period 3 element with an atomic weight of 26.9815386. It is the third most abundant element in the earth's crust and the most abundant metallic element. Aluminum Bohr Model Aluminum's name is derived from alumina, the mineral from which Sir Humphrey Davy attempted to refine it from in 1812. Aluminum was first predicted by Antoine Lavoisier 1787 and first isolated by Hans Christian Øersted in 1825. Aluminum is a silvery gray metal that possesses many desirable characteristics. It is light, nonmagnetic and non-sparking. It stands second among metals in the scale of malleability, and sixth in ductility. It is extensively used in many industrial applications where a strong, light, easily constructed material is needed. Elemental AluminumAlthough it has only 60% of the electrical conductivity of copper, it is used in electrical transmission lines because of its light weight. Pure aluminum is soft and lacks strength, but alloyed with small amounts of copper, magnesium, silicon, manganese, or other elements, it imparts a variety of useful properties.

Tungsten

See more Tungsten products. Tungsten (atomic symbol: W, atomic number: 74) is a Block D, Group 6, Period 6 element with an atomic weight of 183.84. The number of electrons in each of tungsten's shells is [2, 8, 18, 32, 12, 2] and its electron configuration is [Xe] 4f14 5d4 6s2. Tungsten Bohr ModelThe tungsten atom has a radius of 139 pm and a Van der Waals radius of 210 pm. Tungsten was discovered by Torbern Bergman in 1781 and first isolated by Juan José Elhuyar and Fausto Elhuyar in 1783. In its elemental form, tungsten has a grayish white, lustrous appearance. Elemental TungstenTungsten has the highest melting point of all the metallic elements and a density comparable to that or uranium or gold and about 1.7 times that of lead. Tungsten alloys are often used to make filaments and targets of x-ray tubes. It is found in the minerals scheelite (CaWO4) and wolframite [(Fe,Mn)WO4]. In reference to its density, Tungsten gets its name from the Swedish words tung and sten, meaning heavy stone.

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