James Veltri, Pong Lee, Gavin Schmer, and Steven Weninninger, “Metallurgical Bond Testing of A206 Overcast onto A356 Metal Matrix Composites”
Mentor: Benjamin Church, Materials Science & Engineering
Poster #163

Bonding of aluminum is an important yet complicated aspect of engineering systems design. Certain bonding agents assist with either mechanical locking or creating a metallurgical bond when applied onto the interfacial surface to bond aluminum silicon alloys (A206) onto an aluminum copper metal matrix composite (A356 MMC). A metallurgical bond is much more preferred when compared to mechanical locking due to both materials creating a joining from one another. Cast aluminum components can be improved through strategic placement of nickel-plating inserts to enhance local properties such as stiffness and resistance to wear. The bonding of the aluminum metal can improve the load, heat transfer, and cyclic efficiency between the alloys across the interface which aids in the diffusion of two alloys. This bond must create sufficient fusion across the interface to create such a joining. Testing of the metallurgical bond strength is conducted using the popsicle pullout method, and optimization of process parameters show a metallurgical bond is empirically evaluated through a reliable and repeatable method unknown within current ASTM specifications. The resulting investigation evaluates the bond strength and fracture mechanics through multiple testing parameters such as plating augmentation, ideal rod insertion length, bond strength testing, and optimization of such parameters.