Influence of carbon nanotube reinforcement on the heat transfer coefficient, microstructure, and mechanical properties of a die cast Al-7Si-0.35Mg alloy

Abstract Al-7Si-0.35Mg or A356 alloy is most widely used in aircraft and automobile industries owing to its high strength to weight ratio. This alloy has been reinforced with a 1 wt% carbon nanotube (CNT) to improve its properties in this investigation. First, A356/1 wt% CNT powders were ball milled in the presence of ethanol and subsequently consolidated using gravity die casting. Ball milling was effective in achieving homogeneous dispersion of CNT. The microstructural study revealed the segregation of the Al4C3 phase at the grain boundary. This mechanism is known as grain boundary precipitation. Also, the grain size has decreased by ~44%. Next, the casting-die interfacial heat transfer coefficient (IHTC) has been evaluated using Beck's inverse heat transfer algorithm. With the reinforcement, the IHTC has increased by ~2.5%, which indicates the rise in heat transfer rate during solidification. Then, the experimental and theoretical tensile properties of A356 were correlated using simulation software. The experimental results showed the synergistic effect of grain size, Al4C3, and IHTC improving yield strength by ~19.8%, ultimate tensile strength by ~14.13%, elongation by 7%, and hardness ~22%. Therefore, a meagre 1 wt% CNT has improved the heat transfer rate of the melt as indicated by IHTC values. This effect was further corroborated by evaluating the thermal conductivity of the sample. The thermal conductivity has improved by 10% that resulted in finer grain size of the sample. Therefore, such reinforced alloys are expected to display higher strength demanded in various industrial applications.