Effect of Hot-Plate Rolling on the Microstructure Evolution and Mechanical Properties of In-Situ Nano-TiC_P/Al-Mg-Si Composites

Abstract

The hot-plate rolling (HPR) process is adopted to achieve the optimal strength-ductility for the in-situ nano-TiC_P/Al-Mg-Si composites. There was no crack in the sheet by single pass of hot-plate rolling with a thickness reduction of 80%, while there were numerous cracks in the sheet by two passes of conventional hot rolling to achieve a total reduction of 50%. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the composites subjected to 80% thickness reduction of hot rolling at 540 °C were investigated by tensile tests, scanning electron microscopy, and electron backscatter diffraction. The yield strength and ultimate tensile strength of in-situ nano-TiC_P/Al-Mg-Si composites after the hot-plate rolling process and T6 heat treatment increased significantly due to the dislocation strengthening and precipitation strengthening.

Keywords

hot-plate rolling process / aluminum matrix composites / microstructure evolution / mechanical property