Aluminum based in situ nanocomposite produced from Al–Mg–CuO powder mixture by using friction stir processing

• Aluminum based nanocomposite is synthesized by using friction stir processing.
• The composite is reinforced by in situ formed MgO and Al2Cu nano-particles.
• The Al–MgO–Al2Cu composite exhibits enhanced Young's modulus and strength.

Aluminum based in situ composite was synthesized from powder mixture of Al/Mg/CuO by using the friction stir processing (FSP). Microstructure characterization indicates that in situ formed MgO and Al2Cu nano-particles are uniformly distrubuted in submicron-grained aluminum matrix. Because of the large amount of nanometer-size reinforcements in a submicron-grained matrix, the composite exhibits enhanced Young's modulus and strength. The reaction mechanism responsible for the in situ formation of MgO and Al2Cu particles in FSP is discussed. This work has demonstrated the beneficial effect of utilizing the Mg/metal-oxide displacement reaction in the synthesis of aluminum based in situ nanocomposites.

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