Sintering characteristic of Al2O3-reinforced 2xxx series Al composite powders

Sintering characteristic of Al2O3-reinforced 2xxx series Al composite powders was investigated in order to obtain enhanced densification. In order to confirm the effect of the ceramic phase, Al composite powder, AMB 2905 (Al-3.2Cu-1.0Mg-5.0Al2O3), was used as the starting powder. Al blended powder, AMB 2712 (Al-3.8Cu-1.0Mg), was also used for comparison. The sintered density of the blended powder was about 93% of the theoretical value at 620 °C. The sintered density of the composite powder was about 95% at 630 °C. A small decrease in the density of each powder caused by swelling was observed after holding time of 10 min at the sintering temperature. After 20 min, the density slightly increased. The diffusion of the liquid phase was faster in the composite powder sintered specimen than in the blended powder sintered specimen. The liquid phase is thought to have infiltrated into the spaces between ceramic agglomerates. The results show that a greater amount of liquid phase is needed to enhance the sinterability of 2xxx series Al composite materials.