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Microstructure, Mechanical and Wear Behavior of Metal Matrix Composites

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Dear Colleagues,

Composites represent the best materials for instruments requiring higher mechanical characteristics and lower weight. Metal matrix composite materials are produced by dispersing secondary particles in a metallic matrix. In addition, composite characteristics’ adaptability in a synergistic manner, which satisfies a wide variety of mechanical performance requirements, makes these materials an intriguing option for consistent weight reductions in main structures. Composites comprise two or more elements combining to create a new material with distinct properties compared to the separate components. Metal matrix composites play a vital role in wear-related applications since the hard reinforcement in the soft matrix improves the wear resistance of the composite materials. The microstructure of composite materials is refined by the secondary particles in the matrix. Furthermore, the reinforcement particles also improve the material’s strength. The characteristics of metal matrix composites are thus represented by the reinforcement and the matrix and the interface between them. Metal matrix composites have a wide application in many sectors, such as automotive, aerospace, and thermal management, due to their excellent specific strength.

With these functions in mind, this Special Issue concerns the manufacturing routes, processing techniques, characterization, applications, performance, and recycling of composites. Both primary articles and research on engineering applications covering metal matrix composites will be considered, along with papers focused on their mechanical, wear, and corrosion behaviour, and their applications.

Dr. M. Ravichandran
Dr. V. Mohanavel
Guest Editors

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Keywords

metal matrix composites
casting
powder metallurgy
wear
microstructure
properties
copper
aluminum

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Research

15 pages, 2763 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ag and Sn Implications in 3-Polker Coins Forgeries Evidenced by Nondestructive Methods

by Ioan Petean, Gertrud Alexandra Paltinean, Adrian Catalin Taut, Simona Elena Avram, Emanoil Pripon, Lucian Barbu Tudoran and Gheorghe Borodi

Materials 2023, 16(17), 5809; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16175809 - 24 Aug 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1036

Abstract

Several forged 3-Polker coins have been reported in historical sources on the financial crisis that occurred between 1619 and 1623 at the start of the 30-year-long war. Supposedly, belligerent countries forged other countries’ coins which were then used for external payments as a war strategy. Thus, a lot of 3-Polker coins (e.g., Sigismund-III-type) were forged, and the markets became flooded with poor currency. In the present day, these pre-modern forgeries are rare archeological findings. Only five forged 3-Polker coins randomly found in Transylvania were available for the current study. There are deeper implications of silver and tin in the forgery techniques that need to be considered. Thus, the forged 3-Polker coins were investigated via nondestructive methods: SEM microscopy coupled with EDS elemental spectroscopy for complex microstructural characterization and XRD for phase identification. Three distinct types of forgery methods were identified: the amalgam method is the first used for copper blank silvering (1620), and immersion in melted silver (1621) is the second one. Both methods were used to forge coins with proper legends and inscriptions. The third method is the tin plating of copper coins (with corrupted legend and altered design) (1622, 1623, and 1624). The EDS investigation revealed Hg traces inside the compact silver crusts for the first type and the elongated silver crystallites in the immersion direction, which are well-attached to the copper core for the second type. The third forgery type has a rich tin plating with the superficial formation of Cu₆Sn₅ compound that assures a good resistance of the coating layer. Therefore, this type should have been easily recognized as fake by traders, while the first two types require proper weighing and margin clipping to ensure their quality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microstructure, Mechanical and Wear Behavior of Metal Matrix Composites)

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17 pages, 6894 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Microstructure, Mechanical Characteristics, and Wear Performance of Spark Plasma Sintered TiB₂–Si₃N₄ as Affected by B₄N Doping

by Balasubramanian Ramesh, Essmat Showman, S. A. Muhammed Abraar, Kuldeep Kumar Saxena, Mohammed Y. Tharwan, Naif Alsaadi, Sharaf Al Sofyani and Ammar H. Elsheikh

Materials 2022, 15(20), 7096; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15207096 - 12 Oct 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1145

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the effect of boron nitride (B₄N) additive (3–6%) on the densification, microstructure, mechanical properties, and wear performance of TiB₂–15%Si₃N₄ and TiB₂–30%Si₃N₄ sintered composites. When the B₄N (3%) was added to the TiB₂–30Si₃N₄ composite, the density increased to 99.5%, hardness increased to 25.2 MPa, and the fracture toughness increased to 4.62 MPam^1/2. Microstructural analysis shows that in situ phases such as TiB₂ help to improve the relative mechanical characteristics. However, raising the B₄N additive to 6% in the above-sintered composite reduces the composites’ relative density and hardness. The tested sintered composites demonstrated that their superior wear resistance can be attributed to their increased density and hardness. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microstructure, Mechanical and Wear Behavior of Metal Matrix Composites)

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