Influence of SiO2 nanoparticles on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al matrix nanocomposites fabricated by spark plasma sintering

Al-SiO2 nanocomposite was produced using mechanical milling and spark plasma sintering (SPS) processes. In this research, the effects of ceramic nano size reinforcement on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the Al-SiO2 nanocomposite were investigated. Using electron microscopy, the microstructures of the primary powder and the produced composites were studied. Microhardness and tensile tests were also employed to study the mechanical properties of the composites. The results revealed a reduction in porosity as increasing the nanoparticles percentage up to 3 wt%. For higher reinforcing percentages the material's density reached the minimum (86% of the density of the composite with 3 wt% of reinforcing particles). EBSD was employed to study the microstructural evolution of the produced materials.