Effects of sintering temperature and graphite addition on the mechanical properties of aluminum

The effects of different sintering temperatures, namely 400, 500 and 600 degrees C, on the mechanical properties of four aluminum-graphite alloys were reported. Different percentages of exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets particles (xGnP) were added to pure aluminum by using the powder metallurgy technique to produce Al-0 wt.%xGnP, Al-1 wt.%xGnP, Al-3 wt.%xGnP, and Al-5 wt.%xGnP. The density, fracture surface, compression, and hardness measurements were carried out to report the mechanical properties of the different aluminum-xGnP alloys. Combined data indicated that the Vickers hardness and compressive strength increase, on the other hand, the density decreases with increasing the graphite content in the Al alloys. (C) 2012 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.