Tailoring Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Aluminum Matrix Composites Reinforced with Novel Al/CuFe Multi-Layered Core-Shell Particles

Aluminum matrix composites (AMCs), reinforced with novel pre-synthesized Al/CuFe multi-layered core- shell particles, were fabricated by different consolidation techniques to investigate their effect on microstructure and mechanical properties. To synthesize multi-layered Al/CuFe core-shell particles, Cu and Fe layers were deposited on Al powder particles by galvanic replacement and electroless plating method, respectively. The core-shell powder and sintered compacts were characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDX), pycnometer, microhardness and compression tests. The results revealed that a higher extent of interfacial reactions, due to the transformation of the deposited layer into intermetallic phases in spark plasma sintered composite, resulted in high relative density (99.26％), microhardness (165 HV0.3) and strength (572 MPa). Further, the presence of un-transformed Cu in the shell structure of hot-pressed composite resulted in the highest fracture strain (20.4％). The obtained results provide stronger implications for tailoring the microstructure of AMCs through selecting appropriate sintering paths to control mechanical properties.