Effect of glass fibre (GF) addition on microstructure and tensile property of GF/Pb composites fabricated by powder metallurgy

GF/Pb composites were fabricated by the method of powder metallurgy, and the density, microstructure and tensile property were characterized considering the size and content of glass fibre (GF). The results show that relative densities decrease with increasing GF fraction, and the 50 μm-GF reinforced specimens exhibit a better densification than the 300 μm-GF reinforced ones. The GF particles distribute quite uniformly in Pb matrix, and the composites fabricated at low sintering temperature (<200 °C) possess fine-grain microstructure. The addition of GF significantly improves the strength of the Pb composites, and the ultimate tensile strength of the Pb composite reinforced with the addition of 50 μm-0.5% GF (mass fraction) is about 30 MPa higher than that of GF-free sample. For all composites groups, increasing the reinforcement content from 0.5% to 2% (mass fraction) results in a decrease in both tensile strength and ductility.