An Experimental and Modeling Study of Al-based Nanocomposites Fabricated by Ultrasonic Cavitation and Solidification Processing

In the present investigation, A356 nanocomposites were fabricated via ultrasonic stirring technology (UST) in a coreless induction furnace. SiC nanoparticles were used as the reinforcement. Nanoparticles were added into the molten metal and then dispersed by ultrasonic cavitation and acoustic streaming assisted by electromagnetic stirring. The UST was also applied during the solidification process. The nanocomposite microstructure was investigated by optical microscopy and SEM. The distribution of SiC nanoparticles in the A356 alloy matrix was also analyzed. The SEM and EDS analyses showed that both the matrix microstructure and the SiC particles dispersion into the matrix can be considerably improved when ultrasonic cavitation, induction melting and stirring, and solidification processing techniques are applied together. Molecular dynamics simulations were conducted to analyze the complex interactions between the nanoparticles and the S/L interface.