Optimal Performance of Mg-SiC Nanocomposite: Unraveling the Influence of Reinforcement Particle Size on Compaction and Densification in Materials Processed via Mechanical Milling and Cold Iso-Static Pressing

Abstract

Achieving uniformly distributed reinforcement particles in a dense matrix is crucial for enhancing the mechanical properties of nanocomposites. This study focuses on fabricating Mg-SiC nanocomposites with a high-volume fraction of SiC particles (10 vol.%) using cold isostatic pressing (CIP). The objective is to obtain a fully dense material with a uniform dispersion of nanoparticles. The SiC particle size impact on the compressibility and density distribution of milled Mg-SiC nanocomposites is studied through the elastoplastic Modified Drucker-Prager Cap (MDPC) model and finite element method (FEM) simulations. The findings demonstrate significant variations in the size and dispersion of SiC particles within the Mg matrix. Specifically, the Mg-SiC nanocomposite with 10% submicron-scale SiC content (M10Sµ) exhibits superior compressibility, higher relative density, increased element volume (EVOL), and more consistent density distribution compared to the composite containing 10% nanoscale SiC (M10Sn) following CIP simulation. Under 700 MPa, M10Sµ shows improvements in both computational and experimental results for volume reduction percentage, 2.31% and 2.81%, respectively, and relative density, 4.14% and 3.73%, respectively, compared to M10Sn. The relative density and volume reduction outcomes are in qualitative alignment with experimental findings, emphasizing the significance of particle size in optimizing nanocomposite characteristics.