Workability of sintered aluminium

composite preforms of varying Cu and TiC

contents during cold deformation
Cite as: AIP Conference Proceedings 2083, 040002 (2019); https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5094322
Published Online: 21 March 2019

Mohammed Nizam Khan, Sumesh Narayan, and Ananthanarayanan Rajeshkannan

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AIP Conference Proceedings 2083, 040002 (2019); https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5094322 2083, 040002

© 2019 Author(s).
 Workability of Sintered Aluminium Composite Preforms of
Varying Cu and TiC Contents during Cold Deformation
Mohammed Nizam Khan1, a), Sumesh Narayan2, b) and Ananthanarayanan
Rajeshkannan3, c)
1
School of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, Science & Technology, Fiji National University,
Samabula Campus, Fiji
2,3
Section of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering and Physics, The University of the South Pacific,
Laucala Campus, Fiji
a)
nizam07.khan@yahoo.com or mohammed.k@fnu.ac.fj
b)
Corresponding author: narayan_su@usp.ac.fj
c)
ananthanarayanan_r@usp.ac.fj

Abstract. The present research investigates the workability behaviour of sintered Aluminium (Al) composites under cold
deformation. Workability measures the level of deformation that materials can sustain prior to failure in the forming
process. The effects of different weight percent of Copper (Cu) and Titanium carbide (TiC) addition to the Al composite
preforms were experimentally determined. Al, Al-3%Cu, Al-3%Cu-2%TiC and Al-3%Cu-4%TiC were cold upset under
different frictional conditions (nil/no lubricant, graphite lubricant and zinc stearate lubricant) and aspect ratios (0.45 and
0.9) to determine the workability behaviour. The curves were plotted and analysed for different preforms. The effects of
the reinforcement addition to the Al composite and initial preform geometry on the relative density (R), and other
influencing physical parameter such as axial stress and the formability stress index, β is presented.

INTRODUCTION
Aluminium (Al) and its composites are very versatile materials suitable for structural, automotive, aerospace and
other high temperature and strength applications [1]. Composites are a material system composed of discrete
constituents (the reinforcement) distributed in a continuous phase (the matrix). Metal Matrix Composites (MMC’s)
are intended to have enhanced properties such as high specific strength and stiffness, greater strength to weight
ratios even at elevated temperatures with proper design and fabrication [2]. Hence, the workability characteristics of
the material is of absolute importance as Powder metallurgy (PM) parts contain pores and this limits to a critical
working density in order to produce healthy parts. Workability or formability examines the extent the material can
be deformed before failure and the forming limit is an important criterion in the metal forming process. Thus,
workability analysis will aid the secondary deformation process which is highly required in the PM process to
further increase the material strength via secondary deformation process. Abdel-Rahman and El-Sheikh [3]
proposed the formability stress index, β which describes the effects of the hydrostatic and the effective stress on the
PM compacts. Narayanasamy et al. [4] presented experimental work on workability behaviour of Aluminium, Al–
Al2O3, Al–Fe, Fe, Fe–TiC and Fe–C composites during cold upsetting. The study evaluates the effects of particle
size and volume fraction of SiC additions in Al-SiC preforms on workability characteristics. It is reported that β
increases with increase in SiC volume percent. Hassani et al. [5] conducted compressive workability tests of porous
Al/SiC composites fabricated through mechanical alloying (MA). It was concluded from this study that the
instantaneous density coefficient and work hardening exponent decreased when the density was increased. Also, the
strength increases with an increase in the milling time, weight percent of SiC particles and a decrease in the SiC
particle size. Furthermore, Narayanasamy et al. [6] carried out experimental investigation to understand the

7th International Conference on Nano and Materials Science (ICNMS 2019)

AIP Conf. Proc. 2083, 040002-1–040002-5; https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5094322
Published by AIP Publishing. 978-0-7354-1813-4/$30.00

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workability behaviour of Al-Fe composite under triaxial stress state conditions. It was established that as the iron
content increases, β value also increases. Rajeshkannan [7] presents a workability study of sintered copper alloy
preforms. Different curve fitting techniques were utilized and established that the formability stress index improved
with decreasing the aspect ratio. However, this limited the height strain to fracture. Moreover, Kumar et al. [8]
presents study on the effects of glass percentages in Al-Glass composite on the formability behaviour in triaxial
stress state condition as a function of the relative density. It was concluded that β increased with an increase in the
percent glass content. Mohapatra et al. [9] reports on the fabrication of Al-TiC composites with different volume
fraction of TiC particles as reinforcements by the hot consolidation technique. The Al-TiC composite samples
established enhanced Young modulus, hardness and compressive strength. This study also concludes that the TiC
reinforcements are desired because of its high hardness, elastic modulus, low density, excellent wettability with
molten aluminium and low chemical reactivity. Narayan and Rajeshkannan [10] presented an experimental
investigation to evaluate the effects of various carbide contents, such as TiC, WC, Fe3C and Mo2C, on the
formability of sintered aluminium composite. It was established that the TiC compacts demonstrated better
densification and stress formability index; however, it limits the height strain to fracture. As such, workability
studies are of extreme importance and require careful selection of the process parameters such as die-and preform
design and dimensions, lubrication and density to avoid failure. Thus, the present experimental work pertains to
establish formability limit under triaxial stress state condition of PM preforms of Al, Al-3%Cu, Al-3%Cu-2%TiC
and Al-3%Cu-4%TiC.

EXPERIMENTAL DETAILS
Al, Al-3%Cu, Al-3%Cu-2%TiC and Al-3%Cu-4%TiC was prepared using atomized Al powder of less than or
equal to 150μm size (diameter) and respective reinforcements of less than or equal to 50mm in size (diameter). The
masses of Al and respective powders required were weighed and mixed in a planetary ball milling machine, model
Retsch PM400MA for a period of 2 hours at a speed of 200rpm to achieve a homogeneous mixture. These blended
powders were kept in airtight containers to avoid oxidation. The powder blend was then compacted on a 100 tonne
capacity hydraulic press into cylindrical billets of aspect ratios (height-to-diameter ratio) 0.45 and 0.9 with an initial
theoretical density of 86%. An indigenously developed ceramic coating was applied on the compacts straight after
compaction and allowed to dry for a period of 12 hours at normal atmospheric conditions. The preforms were
recoated in the direction 90o to that of the earlier coating and dried again for 12 hours. The coating was applied to
avoid oxidation of compacts during the sintering process.
These ceramic-coated compacts were then sintered in an electric muffle furnace at a temperature of 220oC for 30
minutes (drying process) and then at the temperature of 594oC for further 60 minutes. Each preform was then
compressively cold deformed between a flat die-set assembly in incremental step loading of 2 tonnes using a 100
tonne hydraulic press under different frictional conditions (nil/no lubricant, graphite lubricant and zinc stearate
lubricant). The deformation process was stopped once a visible crack appeared at the free surface. Dimensional and
density measurements were carried out after every step of deformation. Experimental results were used to calculate
the various parameters such as axial strain, percent relative density and formability stress index.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Cold upsetting of PM materials leads to a decrease in the bulk volume as material flows into the voids and
subsequently increases the densification and material strength; therefore, densification is a function of induced strain.
In this regards, Figure 1 (a-d) are between the Relative density, R and axial strain, ߝ௓ for PM preforms namely Al,
Al-3%Cu, Al-3%Cu-2%TiC and Al-3%Cu-4%TiC given as a-d respectively with aspect ratio 0.45 and 0.9 cold
upset under nil/no lubricant (N), graphite lubricant (G) and zinc stearate (ZS) lubricant conditions to establish the
relationship between the relative density and induced strain. A similar characteristic nature of the curves are
observed whereby enhanced densification levels with respect to the axial strain are observed in the initial stages of
the deformation till axial strain of about 0.4. However, careful examinations reveal a steady state after axial strain of
0.4 followed by negligible increase in densification observed in the final stages of deformation. This establishes that
induced strain enhances densification as is observed that the existence of larger pore closure in the initial stages of
deformation promoted densification significantly with little enhancement in axial strain. On the contrary, the pore
closure rate decreases as the deformation progressed with evident decrease in densification until strain hardening in
the latter stages of upsetting. The highest levels of densification are generally observed with nil lubricated preforms

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with aspect ratio of 0.45 in terms of the final attained density. Furthermore, Al composites, mainly Al-3%Cu-4%TiC
composite displayed higher attained densification levels than the pure Al preforms tested in this study for higher
aspect ratio and nil lubricant condition. Same is not true for smaller aspect ratio preforms. The effect of lubricants
and aspect ratio diminishes at the initial stages of deformation with the addition of TiC, however, the effect of aspect
ratio is significant in the final stages of deformation. Another important point to note here is that the axial strain at
fracture reduces for Al3%Cu preforms which further reduce with the addition of TiC.

(a) (b)

(c) (d)
FIGURE 1. Variation of the Relative density, R and axial strain, ࢿࢆ for cold deformed Al composites.

It is critical to analyze the stress-strain relationship to establish the mechanical behaviour of materials subjected
to external loading. As such, Figure 2 has been drawn between the axial stress, ߪ௭ and the axial strain, ߝ௓ of
aforementioned composites. A similar pattern is observed in the plots in terms of the characteristic nature of curves.
For majority given axial strain, the ߪ௭ obtained are generally higher for TiC containing compacts with the lowest
being for pure Al and Al-3%Cu, respectively. This indicates that pure Al and Al-3%Cu can be further deformed be it
defect free. On the other hand, the higher stress involved with the TiC containing compacts is for further plastic
deformation as the motion of dislocations is inhibited more for TiC particulates than other composites involved. As
a result, higher stress values for TiC composites are evident with respect to the given axial strain. Further, smaller
aspect ratio preforms and nil lubricant showed higher axial stress against axial strain.

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 (a) (b)

(c) (d)

FIGURE 2. Relationship between the Axial stress, ࣌ࢠ and axial strain, ࢿࢆ for Al, Al-3%Cu, Al-3%Cu-2%TiC and Al-3%Cu-
4%TiC composites given as a-d respectively under different (N, G and ZS) lubricant conditions and with aspect ratio (0.45 and
0.9) during cold upsetting.

Figure 3 has been drawn between the formability stress index, β and the axial strain of Al, Al-3%Cu, Al-3%Cu-
2%TiC and Al-3%Cu-4%TiC composites. The plots demonstrate that β increases with increasing axial strain for
smaller aspect ratio until fracture; however, for the higher aspect ratio preforms the β values stagnate towards the
final stages of deformation. This is in conformity with enhanced densification with increasing strain. The formability
of the Al and Al/Cu containing compacts was uniformly found to be higher than others tested. Addition of TiC
reduced the formability characteristics of the composites. However, the highest attained formability index value was
for nil lubricated Al preform with aspect ratio of 0.45. It is also observed that the effect of lubrication condition
yielded zero effect on the formability index for the TiC addition; however, the effect of aspect ratio is clearly
evident in this TiC addition compacts.

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 (a) (b)

(c) (d)
FIGURE 3. Variation of the Formability stress index, β against the axial strain, ࢿࢆ for cold deformed Al composites (a-d) under
different lubricant conditions and aspect ratios.

CONCLUSION
The workability behavior of Al/Cu/TiC composites was studied and the basic conclusions drawn are:
x The TiC containing compacts demonstrated better densification and consequently better β.
x Nil/no lubricated and lower aspect ratio preforms demonstrated better densification and β. Further, Al-
3%Cu-4%TiC composite exhibited better formability characteristics over others studied. However, generally
the final densification levels and β are almost the same irrespective of the variables used in the investigation.
x Around 94-96% critical density obtained for the preforms tested.
x These plots discussed are critical in the design of forming operations for the aforesaid composites and
respective conditions.

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