Particle Reinforced

Composite
 INTRODUCTION

COMPOSITES

Particle-
Fiber-
Reinforced Structural
Reinforced
Composite
 Introduction
 A particle has no long dimension.
 Particle composites consist of particles of one
material dispersed in a matrix of a second material.
 Generally spherical, ellipsoidal, polyhedral, or
irregular in shape.
 Added to a liquid matrix that later solidifies in some
process.
 The particles may be treated to be made compatible
with the matrix, or they may be incorporated
without such treatment.
 Particles are most often used to extend the strength
or other properties of inexpensive materials by the
addition of other materials.
 Types of Particle Reinforced
Composite
 Large Particle
 “LARGE” indicate that particle-matrix interaction cannot be
treated on the atomic or molecular level.
 Involves large particles that are harder or stiffer than matrix.
 The reinforcing particles tend to restrain movement of the
matrix phase in the vicinity of each particle
 The matrix transfer some of the applied stress to the particles,
which bear a friction at the load.
 Bonding at the interface is necessarily important.
 Types of Particle Reinforced
Composite
 Dispersion-strengthened
 Small particles (10 to 100 nm)
 Matrix bears most of the applied load
 Particles hinder or impede motion of dislocations
 Plastic deformation is restricted
 Improves yield and tensile strength.
 Most of MMCs fall in this category
 Metal, metallic compound, ceramic particle,
whisker or etc., is uniformly dispersed in matrix
medium.
 Orientation and Geometry
 Approximately in the same dimension in all
direction. (Equiaxed).
 Uniformly distributed
 Generally spherical, ellipsoidal, polyhedral, or
irregular in shape
 Particle and Fiber variables
 For any composite, regardless of the selection of matrix and
disperse phase (material and type), there are many options that will
affect properties:

Each option will

impart different
benefits to the
final part.

Also surface
coatings on the
dispersed phase
 Large-Particle vs. Dispersion-Strengthened Composites
Shear 
Large-Particle

Strong Particle Dislocation shears through

>500 nm the dispersion
Dispersion Strengthened
Stress field of
dispersion

Strong Particle
<100 nm Dislocation stopped
PROCESS
 Particulate Reinforcement
Processing
 The process where the particulate reinforcement form being
formed
 Examples of the particulate processing:
A. Powder Processing
1. Spray drying processing (Liquid)
2. Vortex Disintegrator Drying (Semi-solid)
3. Fluid Bed and Flash Drying (Moist powder)
4. Microwave Vaccum Drying (Wet powder)
5. Spray Congealing (Liquid melts)
B. Granulation
1. Spray Drying Granulation Granulation (Liquid)
2. High Shear Granulation – continuous (Powder)
3. Fluid Bed Granulation (Powder)
4. High Shear Granulation- Batch (dry ingredients )

C. Pelletizing
1. Layering from Liquids & Powder
2. Wet & Melts Granulation Pelletizing

D. Others Processing
1. Pulverized Process
2. Particle size reduction through hammer mill
3. Particle size reduction through roller mills
4. Steam Drying of Fibrous Particulates
 E.g.1: Powder – Spray Drying
 From liquid feeds
 One of the most important
continuous drying techniques for
converting solutions, emulsions,
and slurries into powders.
 The liquid feed is atomized into
droplets which are directed into a
controlled flow of hot air.
 Particles are formed as moisture
evaporates from each droplet.

Spray Dryer
 E.g. 2: Granulation - Spray Drying
Granulation
 From liquid feed
 Is a continuous process where the
desired mechanism of particle growth
is layering and simultaneous drying of
the liquid feed on the surface of the
smaller granules and nuclei particles.
 Air temperatures are high to achieve
the required drying rates.
 High density, free flowing granules are
produced from solution and slurry
feeds.
 most suited for inorganic feeds
Spray Dryer Granulator
 E.g. 3: Pelletizing
(A)Layering from liquids
 A solution or suspension of the active component is
sprayed onto inert cores consisting of crystals or
non-pareil seeds.
 Is a multi-layer spray coating process which can be
performed in fluid beds, the Precision Coater™ or
the Roto-Processor™.

Pellet Processor™ Roto-Processor™

 E.g. 4: Size Reduction Through Hammer Mill
Hammer mills

Hopper

Rotor

 is a machine whose purpose is to shred material into fine particles through impact force.
 essentially a steel drum: contains a vertical or horizontal cross shaped rotor on which
pivoting hammers are mounted.
 It reduces the particle size of materials by impacting a slow moving target with a
rapidly moving hammer.
 Particles produced using a hammer mill will generally be spherical in shape with a
surface that appears polished
Process Description:

The rotor is spun at a high speed inside the drum

while material is fed into a feed hopper
Material is impacted by the hammers on the ends of
the rotating cross and thereby is shredded and expelled
through screens in the drum
The design and placement of hammers is determined
by operating parameters such as rotor speed, motor
horsepower, and open area in the screen.
 E.g. 5: Pulverized Process
 Is the process where material has been pounded, crush, or
grind to a powder or dust.

 Example of process: Pulverization of coal

 Is a method to improve burning efficiency and maximize

energy output

 Typically found in power generation, steel and iron

manufacturing, cogeneration, cement drying, and other
industries that employ coal injection furnaces.
 Typical pulverized
fuel storage and firing system

Coal from
Bunker to Storage
Pulverizer Bin

Dust
Collector
To Furnace
 Large-particle Composites Process

Processing methods of Large-particle

composites
Powder Forging Process
Calcinations Process
Cold Pressing Process
Sintering Process
 Powder Forging Process
 A powder blank is pressed to a simple shape halfway
between that of a forging billet and the required
finished part.
 “Preform” is sintered and then hot forged to finished
size and shape in a closed die.
 The amount of deformation involved is sufficient to
give a final density very closely approaching that of
the solid metal, and consequently, the mechanical
properties are comparable with those of material
forged from wrought bar.
 Calcinations Process
 Thermal treatment process applied to ores and other solid
materials in order to bring about a thermal decomposition,
phase transition, or removal of a volatile fraction.
 Normally takes place at temperatures below the melting point
of the product materials.
 Calcination is to be distinguished from roasting, in which
more complex gas-solid reactions take place between the
furnace atmosphere and the solids.
 It is produced by grinding and intimately mixing clay and
lime-bearing minerals in the proper proportions, and then
heating the mixture to about 1400 °C (2550°F) in a rotary kiln.
 Cold Pressing Process
 Bonding operation in which an assembly is subjected
to pressure without the application of heat or drying
air until the adhesive interface has solidified and
reached proper shear proportions.
 Used in conjunction with a sintering technique to
fabricate metal, filament reinforced metal composites
having uniaxially reinforced structures.
 Sintering Process
 Bonding together of a porous aggregate of particles at high
temperature.
 The thermodynamic driving force is the reduction in the
specific surface area of the particles.
 The mechanism usually involves atomic transport over particle
surfaces, along grain boundaries and through the particle
interiors.
 Resulting densification, depending on the predominant
diffusion pathway.
 Used in the fabrication of metal and ceramic components, the
agglomeration of ore fines for further metallurgical processing
and occurs during the formation of sandstones and glaciers.
 Dispersion-strengthened composites
Process
Processing methods of dispersion-
strengthened composites
Powder working process
Mechanical alloying process
High pressure casting process
Molten metal process
Semi-solidification process
 Powder working process
An alloy as a dispersing medium is pulverized and mixed with a
dispersion strengthening material which is extruded at a
high temperature under pressure to form a composites material.

Typical powder metallurgy process:

(1) blending of the gas-atomized matrix alloy

and reinforcement in powder form

(2) compacting (cold pressing) the homogenous

blend to roughly 80% density

(3) degassing the preform to remove volatile

contamination, water vapor and gasses

(4) consolidation by vacuum hot pressing or hot

isotactic pressing and subsequently
extruded, rolled or forged
Mechanical alloying process
An alloy as dispersing medium is pulverized and mixed with a
dispersion strengthening material, which is mechanically
kneaded to form a composite material.

1 2 3

Mechanical alloying creates alloy without melting but by violently deforming mixtures of
1 different powders. Inert oxides can be introduced uniformly into the microstructure. The
elemental powders are milled together to produce solid solutions with uniform dispersions of
oxide particles.

The dispersion-strengthened alloyed powders are then consolidated using hot-isotactic

2 pressing and extrusion to produce a solid with a very fine grain structure.

Heat treatment then induces recrystallisation, either into a coarse columnar grain structure or
3 into a fine, equiaxed set of grains.
 High pressure casting process
A molten alloy as a dispersing medium is impregnated into a preform of
A dispersion strengthening material under pressure and then solidified
To form a composite material.

Schematic view of a high pressure die casting machine

 Molten metal process

A dispersion strengthened material is added to a molten alloy as

a dispersing medium and then mixed with stirring to form a
composite material.

Semisolidification process

An alloy as a dispersing medium is rendered into a mixed solid-

liquid
phase slurry and added with a dispersion strengthening material,
which
is mixed with stirring to form a composite material.
PROPERTIES
 Mechanical Properties of Particulate
Reinforcement
 High specific stiffness, greater strength, and good
fracture properties:
 Influence by the microstructure of the reinforcement; such
as size, shape, and spatial distribution of the reinforcement.
 Good corrosion resistance (for MMC)
 Lead to formation of interface between the matrix
reinforcement, interfacial stresses as well as high
dislocation density in the matrix
 Advantages of Particulate
Reinforcement
 Less extensive than fibrous reinforcements
 Isotropic properties
 Improves the machinability of the material.
 Compatible with most metalworking process and often fabricated
to near net shape
 increase the modulus of the matrix
 decrease the permeability of the matrix
 decrease the ductility of the matrix
 Support higher tensile, compressive and shear stresses.
 Ability to tailor the mechanical properties through selection of
reinforcement type and volume fraction along with the metal alloy
APPLICATIONS
 Large-particle Composites
 Cermets (not cements) are ceramic-metal composites
 Cermented Carbide—cutting tools
 WC or TiC particles (incredibly hard)
 Metal matrix (Co or Ni)
 The particles will crack under the high stresses in cutting applications, so
the matrix prevents crack propagation between particles by separating
them.
 Up to 90 volume percent of particles.
 Polymer/Carbon composites include
 Tires
 Elastomer matrix with carbon black particles (15-30 vol%).
 Improved tensile strength, tear and abrasion resistance, and toughness.
 Small particles are optimal, <50 nm.
 Ceramic-ceramic composites include
 Concrete is:
 ~70 vol% sand and gravel particles (different sizes promotes better
packing).
 Portland cement (ceramic/ceramic composite) is the binder once water
is added.
 Improved tensile, compressive, and shear response by reinforcing
with steel rods, bars (rebar), wires, or wire mesh (ceramic-ceramic-
metal composite).
 Steel is selected for thermal expansion coefficient
 Not corroded during cement hardening
 Strong composite/matrix bond is possible, especially if the steel
surface is contoured
 Pre stressing
Large-particle Reinforced Composites
• Examples:
Spheroidite matrix: particles: Adapted from Fig.

steel ferrite ( ) cementite 10.10, Callister 6e.

(Fig. 10.10 is copyright
(ductile) ( Fe 3 C) United States Steel
Corporation, 1971.)
(brittle)
60 m

WC/Co matrix: particles: Adapted from Fig. 16.4,

Callister 6e. (Fig. 16.4
cemented cobalt WC is courtesy Carboloy
(ductile) (brittle, Systems, Department,
carbide Vm : hard) General Electric
Company.)
10-15vol%! 600 m

Automobile matrix: particles: Adapted from Fig. 16.5,

rubber Callister 6e. (Fig. 16.5
tires Carbon is courtesy Goodyear
(compliant) Black Tire and Rubber
Company.)
0.75 m (stiffer)
 Dispersion-strengthening Composite
 Thoria dispersed nickel (Ni with up to 3 vol% ThO2
particles)
 Sintered aluminum powder (Al matrix with Al2O3 coated Al
flakes)
 Nanometer Al2O3 / Cu composite
 Particle aluminum metal matrix composites (PAMMCs)
 Oxides dispersion strengthened (ODS) alloys
~ austenitic (Ni-based) alloys, which is strengthened by oxide dispersion and by alpha
phase precipitates
~ ferritic (Fe-based), strengthened by an oxide dispersion, which are suitable for gas
turbine chambers, high temperature sensors and heaters, diesel engine components, and
components of advanced energy conversion systems.
FINISH