Mechanical and Wear Properties of Additive Manufactured Metal Matrix Composites: A Review
Source abstract
Abstract
In critical sectors such as energy, transportation, and high-end manufacturing, components must endure simultaneous exposure to high temperatures, heavy loads, and severe wear, necessitating materials with balanced strength, toughness, and durability. Metal matrix composites (MMCs), enhanced with ceramic reinforcements, offer a promising solution to these multifaceted demands. While conventional techniques like casting and powder metallurgy often struggle with limited design freedom and uniform reinforcement distribution, additive manufacturing (AM) enables the production of complex, graded components with tailored microstructures and unlocks new possibilities for materials operating under extreme service conditions. This review systematically examines recent advances in AM-processed MMCs—focusing on aluminum-, titanium-, nickel-, and steel-based systems—for applications in coupled extreme environments. It provides a detailed analysis of their high-temperature mechanical performance and wear resistance, emphasizing the roles of reinforcement selection, microstructural design, and AM processing parameters in governing key properties. Furthermore, the underlying strengthening and wear mechanisms are discussed, along with current challenges and future opportunities. This work aims to serve as a foundational reference for the development of next-generation AM MMCs tailored for high-performance engineering applications.
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Research context
OpenAlex topics: Aluminum Alloys Composites Properties · Additive Manufacturing Materials and Processes · Advanced ceramic materials synthesis
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
State Key Laboratory of Metal Matrix Composites, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
Funding
Fundamental and Interdisciplinary Disciplines Breakthrough Plan of the Ministry of Education of China · National Natural Science Foundation of China · Shanghai Jiao Tong University 2030 Initiative
References (100+)
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