Synthesis and characterisation of graphene-reinforced AA 2014 MMC using squeeze casting method for lightweight aerospace structural applications

Ashwath Pazhani, M Venkatraman, M. Anthony Xavior, Arivarasu Moganraj, Andre Batako, Jeyapandiarajan Paulsamy, Joel Jayaseelan, Arivazhagan A, Jayesh Shanthi Bhavan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

13 Citations (Scopus)
77 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

The need for lightweight materials towards aerospace has increased prominently. This paper focuses on introducing a novel reinforcement mixture of graphene with Al 2014 powder synthesised through ball milling technique. The synthesized powder was utilized as a reinforcement to fabricate Al 2014 based MMCs through squeeze casting technique. The results exhibited that Al 2014 mixture with embedded and interlocked 2D-Gr np (2.517 g/cm 3) matched the density of the matrix metal (2.771 g/cm 3) that facilitated homogeneous dispersion of 2D-Gr np and solved the dispersion problems during stir casting. As a result, AA 2014 embedded with 2D-Gr np acted as a carrier to homogeneously disperse combined with the squeeze casting process leading to the production of homogeneously reinforced MMC. This can be considered as a potential fabrication route for the launch vehicle super lightweight fuel tank (SLWT) structural application. The final casted plate after T6 heat treatment with 0.5 wt% 2D-Gr np exhibited an improved tensile strength of 361 MPa (52% higher than the monolithic 2014 aluminium alloy) with total elongation of 21% and improved hardness of 119 HRB (45.5 % increase). Furthermore, SEM and TEM results exhibited that squeeze casting led to enhanced interfacial bonding between the 2D-Gr np and Al 2014.

Original languageEnglish
Article number111990
Number of pages14
JournalMaterials and Design
Volume230
Early online date9 May 2023
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jun 2023

Bibliographical note

2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Keywords

  • Al 2014
  • Graphene nano-powder
  • Metal matrix MMCs
  • Squeeze casting
  • Stir casting
  • Super lightweight fuel tank (SLWT)

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Mechanics of Materials
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Materials Science(all)

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Synthesis and characterisation of graphene-reinforced AA 2014 MMC using squeeze casting method for lightweight aerospace structural applications'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this