Influence of forming on the mechanical properties of the Al+50% B4C system

The objective of this work is to study the behaviour of the composite material formed by an aluminium matrix reinforced with boron carbide. The great developments of powder metallurgy in metal industry, as well as the possibility to increase the reinforcement content in the material, are the main reasons to employ this method of manufacturing. In order to evaluate the properties of the material, uniaxial compaction and cold isostatic pressing are employed, obtaining green density values of the material for each method. The material obtained by uniaxial compaction is hot compacted, comparing the properties with the sintered materials. Thus, mechanical properties (hardness and bending strength) of the materials obtained in each forming technique are studied. In addition, physical properties, as sintering density and dimensional change, are measured. Also a study of forming by rolling is carried out. In order to characterize the materials, a metallographic study is developed.