Research Progress on Plastic Processing Techniques of Particulate Reinforced Aluminium Matrix Composites

Particulate Reinforced Aluminium Matrix Composites (PRAMCs) have been widely applied in military and civilian areas such as aviation, aerospace, advanced weapon applications and electrical industries due to their good mechanical properties at elevated temperature, low thermal expansion coefficient, excellent wear resistance and low production cost. The main preparation techniques of the PRAMCs include stir casting, powder metallurgy, pressureless infiltration and spray deposition. However, the problems such as low densification and particle cluster encountered in these techniques often reduce the material properties. It has reported that the homogeneity of the distribution of particulate reinforcements in metal matrix can be improved by plastic processing, thus enhancing the material densification. This paper summarized recent progress in the plastic processing methods of the PRAMCs, with an emphasis on the spinning technique. The effects of various process parameters on the material properties were discussed in detail. A summary of research progress on the numerical simulation of plastic processing of the PRAMCs was presented. In the end, an outlook was given on the prospect of the PRAMCs’ development.