Production of carbon nanotube and TiB2 particle reinforced magnesium nanokomposites and investigation of their wear properties

When magnesium is used as the matrix of nanocomposites, low density engineering materials can be obtained. Due to the low density of magnesium nanocomposites, their use tends to increase today. They have the potential to be widely preferred especially in aviation and automotive applications. In this study, Mg-3Zn/TiB2-MWCNT nanocomposites were successfully produced by powder metallurgy method. Initially, 1% multi-walled carbon nanotube and 4, 9 and 14% titanium diboride powders were added to Mg-3Zn alloy in volume and the mechanical alloying process was performed. Afterwards, the cold compaction at 600 MPa pressure and the sintering process at 560 oC were applied to get the samples. After the production, the microstructure, mechanical and wear properties of the investigated materials were investigated. The microhardness value of the 15% hybrid reinforced Mg-3Zn nanocomposite increased by ~80% compared to the unreinforced alloy. The compressive strength of the samples at 5, 10 and 15% reinforcement ratios was obtained to be 170.1, 192.2 and 216.9 MPa, respectively. The crystallite size decreased with an increase in the reinforcement content. According to the wear test results, the wear loss in the nanocomposite sample with 15% hybrid reinforcement decreased by 45% compared to the Mg-3Zn alloy.