Mechanical, intergranular corrosion, and wear behavior of aluminum-matrix composite materials reinforced with nickel aluminides

This article presents experimental results of important properties of aluminum-matrix (AA 2014) composite materials reinforced with different intermetallics of the Ni-Al system. For the present study, the intermetallics are prepared either by mechanical alloying (MA) or by gas atomization (GA). The reinforced composite materials were manufactured by mixing the constituents, followed by uniaxial compacting of a preform and subsequent extrusion without canning or degassing. The present study considered the materials in the extruded state and after T6 heat treatment. Assessments were made from the viewpoint of microstructure (by means of optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM)) and thermal characteristics (by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)), with special emphasis on studying the reactions that take place between the matrix and the reinforcement and which produce a highly copper-enriched interphase. A study was also made of the effect of this reactivity on the mechanical properties and wear behavior of the composite materials, as well as the intergranular corrosion resistance of the materials in the extruded state.