Regularities in the structure and properties formation of aluminum-based composites during hot pressing

The purpose of this study is to investigate the phase composition, parameters of fine crystalline structure and mechanical properties of aluminum-based composites, produced by hot pressing with different synthesis temperatures and isothermal times. For synthesis of composites we used powder mixture of aluminum (particles size 700 nm) and carbon powder in a form of nanodiamonds (size 4 nm). It has been shown that after hot press processing a nanophase (crystallites size 25 nm) of aluminum carbide was formed. Regardless of the synthesis temperature for the maximum holding time of powder mixtures, the density of hot-pressed compacts is about 2.2-2.37 g/cm3. In particular, the value of bending strength of composite samples with a density of 2.37 g/cm3 ranges from 350 to 480 MPa. In the nonporous state, the bending strength of the composites may reach 920 MPa