Fabrication of aluminum wires treated with nanocomposite pellets

Abstract

This study focuses on the fabrication of aluminum treated with nanocomposites made of aluminum and NbB2 and ZrB2 nanoparticles. These nanoparticles were obtained by fragmentation in a ball mill and then mechanically alloyed with pure aluminum powder to form Al/NbB2 and Al/ZrB2 nanocomposite pellets, which were then sintered at 260°C for half an hour to improve the metal/borides interface. The sintered nanocomposites were incorporated into molten pure aluminum to produce 1-mm-diameter wires after cold forming. The wire specimens were mechanically characterized and their electrical resistivity was measured. Our results demonstrated the feasibility of improving the mechanical properties of aluminum wires with the addition of nanocomposites without significantly affecting their electrical conductivity.

Keywords

• aluminum
• nanocomposite
• wires