Effects of TiO2 nanoparticles on the microstructural evolution and mechanical properties on accumulative roll bonded Al nanocomposites

This paper investigates the effect of TiO2 nanoparticle with the variation from 0 to 3 wt% on microstructural modifications and strength enhancement of pure Al fabricated via ARB technique. Results of microstructural characterization such as FESEM and TEM revealed that the attainment of homogeneous distribution of reinforcement particulates, ultrafine matrix grains and dislocations and elongated grains are due to rolling after eight passes, respectively. Reinforcement addition decreased the size of the matrix grains owing to nucleation sites generation and grain growth deceleration. Mechanical properties exhibited that hardness and tensile test were significantly improved more than three times compared with the Al matrix due to superior bonding among the matrix and interlocking of reinforcement particles between the matrix sheets. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.