Spark Plasma Sintering of Al₂O₃ Reinforced Aluminum Alloy Metal Matrix Composites (Review)

Aluminum matrix nanocomposites (AMNCs) are a distinct category of advanced materials that incorporate nanoscale reinforcement in a ductile material matrix. Various nanomaterial reinforcements for AMNCs have been reported in the literature, including multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT), graphene nanoplatelets, silicon carbide, and boron nitride. These classes of materials have been described to exhibit both improvements and reductions in mechanical properties. The interfacial material phases result in low-strength materials. Improvements in mechanical properties are attributed by refined grain size and shape for both the matrix material and the reinforcement agent. These materials demonstrate higher hardness, yield strength, and wear corrosion compared to conventionally prepared aluminum composites. Spark plasma sintering (SPS) is one of the non-conventional sintering methods used to prepare metal matrix composites, resulting in fully dense composite materials. The SPS-produced metal matrix composite can be manufactured rapidly and finds its applications in the automotive, aerospace, and defense industries. This review provides an overview and current status of metal matrix composites regarding matrix and reinforcing materials and the SPS process for producing metal matrix composites.