MICROSTRUCTURE, MECHANICAL PROPERTIES AND WEAR BEHAVIOR OF NI-COATED CONTINUOUS CARBON FIBER-REINFORCED A356 ALUMINUM MATRIX COMPOSITES FABRICATED BY SQUEEZE CASTING

In this research, aluminum matrix composites reinforced with continuous carbon fibers (CFs) were fabricated using A356 aluminum alloy and PAN-based CFs by squeeze casting. For this purpose, CFs were first coated with a nickel layer using the electroless method and then the microstructure of the nickel–phosphorus (Ni–P) electroless coating was investigated. In the next step, composite samples reinforced with volume fractions of 5, 10, and 15 vol.% CFs coated with Ni–P coating were fabricated by squeeze casting at 60 MPa, and then microstructure and mechanical properties were examined. The results of the bending test on the composite samples indicated that the nickel coating had a significant effect on the flexural strength of the composite and increased the flexural strength by up to 30%. In addition, with the increase in the volume percentage of the fibers, the hardness of the samples increased while both the wear rate and the coefficient of friction decreased. Moreover, the best wear resistance was observed in the sample containing 15 vol.% as-coated carbon fibers. The Ni coating led to the formation of a mechanically mixed layer (MML) containing a fine mixture of metallic oxides and carbon thus enhancing the wear resistance.