The effect of adding tungsten disulfide nanoplates on the microstructure and mechanical properties of cast Al-10Zn-3.5Mg-2.5Cu nanocomposite

Document Type : Original Articles

Author

Mohammad Alipour

Faculty of Mechanical engineering, Department of Materials Engineering, University of Tabriz, Iran

10.22067/jmme.2025.85986.1136

Abstract

In this research, the effect of adding tungsten disulfide nanosheets on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-10Zn-3.5Mg-2.5Cu aluminum alloy nanocomposite produced by powder metallurgy and casting method has been investigated. In this research, first, a pre-structure containing tungsten disulfide nanoplates and pure aluminum powder is made, and then this pre-structure is added to the melt. The presence of dispersed tungsten disulfide nanosheets with high specific surface area significantly increases the strength of the nanocomposite. Microstructural studies of the alloy showed that the addition of tungsten disulfide nanosheets reduces the grain size. Further investigations on the tensile test showed that the addition of nanosheets increased the ultimate tensile strength. T6 heat treatment increases the final strength of nanocomposite samples. By adding nanoplates above 0.7% by weight, the presence of tungsten disulfide nanoplate clumps in the grain boundaries is created as a favorable path for crack growth. The nanocomposite containing 0.7% of tungsten disulfide nanoplates shows a tensile strength of 535 Mpa after heat treatment.

Keywords

Metal matrix composites (MMCs)

Mechanical properties

Microstructures

Powder processing

Ultrasonic treatment

Subjects

• Casting and Solidification

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