Investigation of the Structural and Mechanical Properties of Pure Al-TiC Composites

In this study, composites were prepared by powder metallurgy method by adding 5%, 10% and 20% by weight of TiC powder to 99.7% pure aluminum. The morphologies and elemental analysis of the prepared composite samples were carried out using scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDX). The phase structures were then analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Finally, to investigate the mechanical properties of the composite structures, hardness measurements, compressive strength tests and abrasive wear tests were carried out. It was observed that the TiC ceramic particles added to the aluminum caused partial porosity within the structure. XRD analyses revealed peaks corresponding to Al and TiC phases in all composite structures, while no intermetallic phases or impurities associated with any phase were detected. It was observed that the addition of TiC, up to a certain amount, initially decreased and then increased the hardness of aluminum. In contrast to the hardness values, the compressive strength was found to increase with the addition of TiC. In the abrasive wear tests, wear initially increased with the addition of TiC, in parallel with the hardness values, but as the TiC content increased to 20%, the amount of wear decreased. Compared to the reference sample of pure aluminum as the matrix material, wear losses increased with the addition of TiC in all composite structures.