Characterization of aluminium matrix composites reinforced by Al–Cu–Fe quasicrystalline particles

• Al powder and atomised Al65Cu20Fe15 powder were consolidated by vacuum hot pressing.
• No changes in microstructure of Al65Cu20Fe15 powder in 20% and 40% composites.
• Al2Cu precipitates at the interfaces and inside the matrix in the 60% composite.
• Increase of microhardness and compressive strength with content of reinforcement.
• The friction coefficient were in the range 0.5–0.7.

Aluminium matrix composites were consolidated from elemental Al powder and atomised Al65Cu20Fe15 particles by vacuum hot pressing technique. The spherical Al65Cu20Fe15 particles consisted of icosahedral quasicrystalline dendrites or cells and cubic τ-AlCu(Fe) phase located in interdendritic areas. The composites with different content of the reinforcement particles (20, 40 and 60 wt%) were prepared. All composites showed density about 99% and a good bonding between the Al65Cu20Fe15 particles and the matrix. It was shown that the phase composition of the atomised particles did not change after consolidation for the composite containing 20% and 40% added particles while Al2Cu precipitates formed at the Al/Al65Cu20Fe15 interfaces and inside the matrix in the composite with 60% of Al65Cu20Fe15 particles. With the increase of the volume fraction of the reinforcement in the composite the hardness as well as compressive strength increased reaching the value of 173 HV0.5 and 370 MPa, respectively for 60% of Al65Cu20Fe15 particles. The friction coefficient slightly varied in the range 0.5–0.7 depending on the composition.