Magnetic Pulsed Compaction and Sintering Characteristics of Al Composite Powders Reinforced with Waste Stainless Steel Short Fibers

Characteristics of Al-based composites with waste stainless steel short fiber, fabricated by magnetic pulsed compaction and sintering were investigated. The compacts prepared by magnetic pulsed compaction showed high relative density and homogeneous microstructure compared with that by conventional press compaction. The relative density of sintered composites at for 1 h exhibited the same value with compacts and decreased with increase in STS short fiber content. The reaction between Al and STS phase was confirmed by the microstructural analysis using EDS. The sintered composites, prepared by magnetic pulsed compaction, showed increased hardness value with increasing STS fiber content. Maximum yield strength of 100 MPa and tensile strength of 232 MPa were registered in the AI-based composite with 30 vol% STS short fiber.