Synthesis and Characterization of TiB2 Reinforced Aluminium Matrix Composites: A Review

Abstract

Aluminium–matrix composites (AMCs) are developed to meet the demands of light weight high performance materials in aerospace, automotive, marine and other applications. The properties of AMCs can be tailored suitably by combinations of matrix, reinforcement and processing route. AMCs are one of the most attractive alternatives for the manufacturing of light weight and high strength parts due to their low density and high specific strength. There are various techniques for preparing the AMCs with different reinforcement particles. In AMCs, the reinforcements are usually in the form of metal oxides, carbides, borides, nitrides and their combination. Among the various reinforcements titanium di-boride (TiB2) is of much interest due to its excellent stiffness, hardness, and wear resistance. This paper attempts to provide an overview to explore the possibilities of synthesizing titanium di-boride reinforced AMCs with different techniques. The mechanical and tribological properties of these composites have been emphasized to project these as tribo-materials. © 2015, The Institution of Engineers (India).