Synthesis and characterization of AA7075/SiC/graphene hybrid composite

The influence of AA7075 grain refinement, graphene reinforcement and SiC addition on the mechanical and tribological properties of hybrid composites is examined in the current work. The composites are synthesized using the powder metallurgy technique and reinforced with different mass fractions of graphene in micro, nano, bimodal and hybrid structures. XRD is used to study the structural behaviour of a phase lattice arrangement with grains of different sizes and TEM is used to characterize the dispersion of the constituents in the composites. Properties notably density, hardness, compressive strength and wear have all been investigated. The density of the composite increased with a finer nAA7075 matrix, and the addition of SiC further enhanced the density of the hybrid composite, despite the fact that the density of the composite reduced as more graphene was added. The hybrid composite provided better hardness and compressive strength, and the properties progressively started to improve with the inclusion of graphene particles. The SiC particles of hybrid composite prevent the surface material from deteriorating, reducing adhesive wear and delamination.