The Analysis of Microstructure and the Properties of the Metallic-Matrix Composite on the Basis of the Copper and Aluminum Oxide

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the possibilities to obtain gradient materials by the method of spark plasma sintering. Pure copper powders consisting of particles with the average particle size 100 microns and the nanodispersed powder of aluminum oxide were used in this study. Two powder compositions - pure copper powder and a mixture of copper powder and aluminum oxide powder were sintered:. As a result of the sintering process a sample with a double-area structure has been formed with a well-defined boundary between these areas. After sintering the copper powder porosity remained at the initial level. But having been mixed and sintered, the aluminum oxide powder particles agglomerated up to the average particle size of 80 – 100 microns.