Development of Ni-Cu based alloy hybrid composites through induction furnace casting

Metal matrix composites (MMCs) are which are incorporated with various reinforcing phases to achieve higher mechanical properties over metals. MMCs have variety of applications which can be found in structural parts used in aviation, marine and automotive industries. Of those most prominent are Nickel based MMCs which have outstanding properties such as high strength, corrosion resistance and enhanced tribological properties. Therefore, there has been an increasing interest for developing Nickel based MMCs for different applications. In the present work, a sand molding process was used to develop Ni-alloy/Al2O3/TiO2 hybrid composites to study their density and mechanical properties. With the help of an induction furnace, Ni-alloy hybrid composites were prepared with variable weight fractions (3–12%) of aluminium oxide (Al2O3) and a fixed weight fraction of titanium dioxide (TiO2) particles. Micrographic images showed equal distribution of the reinforced elements Al2O3 and TiO2 in the Ni-alloy matrix. EDS and XRD analyses revealed the presence of reinforced particulate matter in the Ni-alloy. The results indicated that mechanical properties such as tensile strength, yield strength, and hardness increased to 9% by weight Al2O3/TiO2 and then decreased slightly. The density of the hybrid composites decreased with an increase in the volume portion of the reinforcement.