Effect of heat treatment on microstructure and performance of GNP-Al composites
In this paper,graphene-reinforced aluminum matrix composites were prepared by high-energy ultrasound-assisted casting and subsequent heat treatment.Effect of graphene and heat treatment on the microstructure,mechanical properties and wear resistance of composites were investigated.The results show that the graphene promotes the grain refinement of the composites,and the Si phases are further refined and rounded after heat treatment.The yield strength and tensile strength of composites after heat treatment(245 and 319 MPa)are increased by 105.9%and 57.9%,respectively,com-pared with those of the matrix(119 and 202 MPa).The results of the wear test show that the lowest wear rate is observed in the composites after the addi-tion of graphene and T6 heat treatment,and the wear mechanism is changed from exfoliation wear to abrasive wear.