Few-layered graphene reinforced Al-10 wt% Si-2 wt% Cu matrix composites

Few-layered graphene (FLG) reinforced Al-10 wt% Si-2 wt% Cu (Al10Si2Cu) matrix com-posites were fabricated via a powder metallurgical route. FLG powders were produced in an originally designed DC arc reactor via arc discharge method. Al, Si, Cu and FLG powders were subjected to high-energy ball milling at different durations to produce ternary Al alloy with homogeneously dispersed FLG, and bulk composites were fabricated via subsequent uni-axial compaction and pressureless sintering. The effects of varying FLG amounts and milling duration on the properties of the powder and bulk samples were investigated. The characterization of as-blended and mechanically alloyed (MAed) powders and their sin-tered forms were performed in terms of microstructural, thermal, mechanical, wear and corrosion properties. According to the results, the hardness values of the 4 h MAed Al10Si2Cu-xFLG composites were determined as 102, 154, 191 and 241 HV for x 1/4 0, 1, 2 and 5 wt%, respectively. Despite the greater hardness value of the Al10Si2Cu-5FLG-4h com-posite, its compressive strength was low due to its brittle structure. The highest compressive strength was shown by the Al10Si2Cu-1FLG as 463 MPa by an approximate increase of 53% compared to that of the Al10Si2Cu matrix. Moreover, the tribology tests showed that FLG addition (up to 2 wt%) improved the wear rate of the Al10Si2Cu matrix. However, a deteriorative effect of FLG on the corrosion resistance of the composites was determined.(c) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).