Microstructures and mechanical properties of α-Al2O3W and MWCNTs hybrid reinforced laminated Cu matrix composites

The balance between strength and toughness is of great importance. In this paper, the microstructure and properties of laminated composites in X-Y direction were characterized and analyzed. The effect of the content of α-Al2O3w and MWCNTs on the laminated structure and properties was analyzed, and strengthening mechanisms and toughening mechanisms of the material were discussed. The laminated structure of traditional Cu matrix composites was designed by a combination of flake powder metallurgy and SPS sintering. Compared with spherical Cu, flake Cu can increase the interface contact between matrix and reinforcement phase, which is conducive to the formation of self-assembly of laminated structure in SPS sintering process. The strength and compressive elongation of 1.0 wt.% MWCNTs-1.0 wt.% α-Al2O3w/Cu hybrid laminated composites were the best, reaching 453.43 MPa, 50%, respectively. This is mainly due to the composites containing MWCNTs less than 1.0 wt.% had uniform microstructure and good interfacial bonding, and the loads were effectively transferred from Cu matrix to MWCNTs and α-Al2O3w. At the same time, the large grain size in the plane is favorable for dislocation movement, while the interlayer interface and nanocrystals hinder the combination of dislocation movement perpendicular to the plane to achieve a balance of strength and toughness.