Effects of wear load on mechanical and morphological properties of A356 matrix carbon nano tube composites

In this study, CNT-A356 composites were prepared by reinforcing an aluminum alloy A356 matrix material with carbon nanotubes (CNT) in 4 different ratio (0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2) and the hardness, abrasion and microstructure properties of these composites were investigated. The powder metallurgy method was used in the production of composite samples. A356 powder and CNTs’ were mixed by ball milling for 1 hour and cold pressed in the powder compression mold. The mold was then taken into a functional oven and hot pressing was performed. The compacted powder bodies were sintered at 550° C for 1 hour in a 10−6 millibars vacuum environment. Hardness measurements, wear tests and microstructure analyzes of the produced samples were carried out. As a result of experimental studies; it has been observed that the CNTs’ are placed in bulk and between the matrix grains and a more hollow structure is formed by increasing the CNT ratio. Moreover, while the CNT ratio exceeded 1%, the hardness values decreased and weight loss increased. The highest hardness value was obtained in the composites containing 1% CNT.