Microwave-Assisted Sintering of Al–ZrO2 Nano-Composites

Abstract In this project, nano-ZrO2 particles were dispersed in aluminum powder by a Y-shape mixer. The particle size of ZrO2 powder was < 40 nm and the amount of ZrO2 reinforcement varies from 3 to 15%.The mixed powders were compacted .Subsequently the compacted discs were sintered both in the microwave oven and in the conventional muffle furnace .Using microwave –assisted sintering method led to the reduction of sintering time to 15 minutes. Micro-structural studies of the nano-composites indicated that there is relatively uniform distribution of the reinforcement in the matrix. Aluminum metal matrix nano-composites( AMMNCs) samples were characterized by micro -hardness measurements, optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDAX). Mechanical properties reveal that the presence of nano-ZrO2 particles has improved significantly the strength. The optimum amount of ZrO2 reinforcement has been determined to be 6%.