These days, metal matrix composites (MMCs) are being widely utilized in automotive and aerospace industries as prominent alternatives to traditional materials. Owing to their elevated strength-to-weight proportion, exceptional fracture toughness, and lightweight design, they can be used in a variety of applications. MMCs undergo extensive machining while making parts and components out of them. The machining of monolithic materials, such as metals and alloys, is a widely used and established process in different industries, such as the aerospace, bio-medical, and automotive sectors. Because of the properties of the metal matrix and the strong reinforcement, MMCs provide unique challenges. Modern machining processes have been found to be superior in overcoming challenges and achieving improved machinability of MMCs. An overview of MMC machining with modern methods is provided in this article. This article first outlines MMCs and addresses the need for and difficulties associated with their machining. Next, it reviews previous investigations on the machining of MMCs employing modern methods like electrical discharge machining, laser machining, abrasive machining, and hybrid machining. Productivity and surface integrity issues, including delamination and roughness, etc., are discussed. When presenting the review, the benefits and drawbacks of modern processes are also taken into account.

In this study, the ball-on-disk sliding wear and tribocorrosion behavior in the H2SO4 and HCl solution of NiCoCrMoCu alloys with carbon additions of 0.2, 1, 1.5, and 2 wt.% with the Al2O3 ball as a counterpart was investigated systematically. Obvious tribocorrosion antagonistic effects were found after wear in both aqueous solutions. Compared with dry sliding wear conditions, the lubrication effect of the aqueous solution significantly reduces the wear rate of the alloy, and the reduction effect in the H2SO4 aqueous solution was more obvious than that in HCl. The antagonistic effects of the 0.2C and 1C alloys decrease with the load and sliding rate, while those of the 1.5C and 2C alloys increase. The (coefficient of friction) COF and wear rate under different loads and sliding rates were analyzed using the response surface analysis (RSM) method. It was found that the COF mainly showed dependence on the sliding rate, while the wear rate showed dependence on load and sliding speed.

The wide size range and high tendency to agglomerate of in-situ TiB2 particles in reinforced Al matrix composites introduce great difficulties in their size characterization. In order to use a nanoparticle size analyzer (NSA) to obtain the precise size distribution of TiB2 particles, a controlled size characterization process has been explored. First, the extraction and drying processes for TiB2 particles were optimized. In the extraction process, alternated applications of magnetic stirring and normal ultrasound treatments were proven to accelerate the dissolution of the Al matrix in HCl solution. Furthermore, freeze-drying was found to minimize the agglomeration tendency among TiB2 particles, facilitating the acquisition of pure powders. Such powders were quantitatively made into an initial TiB2 suspension. Second, the chemical and physical dispersion technologies involved in initial TiB2 suspension were put into focus. Chemically, adding PEI (M.W. 10000) at a ratio of mPEI/mTiB2 = 1/30 into the initial suspension can greatly improve the degree of TiB2 dispersion. Physically, the optimum duration for high-energy ultrasound application to achieve TiB2 dispersion was 10 min. Overall, the corresponding underlying dispersion mechanisms were discussed in detail. With the combination of these chemical and physical dispersion specifications for TiB2 suspension, the bimodal size distribution of TiB2 was able to be characterized by NSA for the first time, and its number-average diameter was 111 ± 6 nm, which was reduced by 59.8% over the initial suspension. Indeed, the small-sized and large-sized peaks of the TiB2 particles characterized by NSA mostly match the results obtained from transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, respectively.

Exploring high strength materials with a higher concentration of reinforcements in the alloy proves to be a challenging task. This research has explored magnesium-based composites (AZ31B alloy) with tungsten carbide reinforcements, enhancing strength for medical joint replacements via league championship optimisation. The primary objective is to enhance medical joint replacement biomaterials employing magnesium-based composites, emphasising the AZ31B alloy with tungsten carbide reinforcements. The stir casting method is utilised in the manufacture of magnesium matrix composites (MMCs), including varied percentages of tungsten carbide (WC). The mechanical characteristics, such as micro-hardness, tensile strength, and yield strength, have been assessed and compared with computational simulations. The wear studies have been carried out to analyse the tribological behaviour of the composites. Additionally, this study investigates the prediction of stress and the distribution of forces inside bone and joint structures, therefore offering significant contributions to the field of biomedical research. This research contemplates the use of magnesium-based MMCs for the discovery of biomaterials suitable for medical joint replacement. The study focuses on the magnesium alloy AZ31B, with particles ranging in size from 40 to 60 microns used as the matrix material. Moreover, the outcomes have revealed that when combined with MMCs based on AZ31B-magnesium matrix, the WC particle emerges as highly effective reinforcements for the fabrication of lightweight, high-strength biomedical composites. This study uses the league championship optimisation (LCO) approach to identify critical variables impacting the synthesis of Mg MMCs from an AZ31B-based magnesium alloy. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images are meticulously analysed to depict the dispersion of WC particulates and the interface among the magnesium (Mg) matrix and WC reinforcement. The SEM analysis has explored the mechanisms underlying particle pull-out, the characteristics of inter-particle zones, and the influence of the AZ31B matrix on the enhancement of the mechanical characteristics of the composites. The application of finite element analysis (FEA) is being used in order to make predictions regarding the distribution of stress and the interactions of forces within the model of the hip joint. This study has compared the physico-mechanical and tribological characteristics of WC to distinct combinations of 0%, 5%, 10% and 15%, and its impact on the performance improvements. SEM analysis has confirmed the findings\' improved strength and hardness, particularly when 10%-15% of WC was incorporated. Following the incorporation of 10% of WC particles within Mg-alloy matrix, the outcomes of the study has exhibited enhanced strength and hardness, which furthermore has been evident by utilising SEM analysis. Using ANSYS, structural deformation and stress levels are predicted, along with strength characteristics such as additional hardness of 71 HRC, tensile strength of 140-150 MPa, and yield strength closer to 100-110 MPa. The simulations yield significant insights into the behaviour of the joint under various loading conditions, thus enhancing the study\'s significance in biomedical environments.

Particle engulfment plays a vital role in the application of particulate reinforced metal matrix composites fabricated by ingot metallurgy. During solidification, particles are nevertheless pushed by an advancing front. As a model system, TiB2p/Al composites were used to investigate the particle engulfment facilitated by acoustic cavitation. The implosion of bubbles drives the particles plunging towards the solid/liquid interface, which increases the engulfment probability. The secondary dendrite arms are refined from 271.2 μm to 98.0 μm as a result of the forced movements of TiB2 particles. Owing to the particle engulfment and dendrite refinement, the composite with ultrasound vibration treatment shows a more rapid work-hardening rate and higher strength.

The quantitative assessment of micro-structure and load-induced damages in Al-SiC metal matrix composites (MMC) is important for its design optimization, performance evaluation and structure-property correlation. X-ray Phase contrast micro-tomography is potentially used for evaluation of its 3 dimensional micro-structure manifested in the form of voids, cracks, embedded particles, and load-induced damages. However, the contrast between Al matrix and SiC particles is insufficient for their clear morphological identification and quantitative assessment. In the present study, we have proposed and applied single image-based phase retrieval as a pre-processing step to micro-tomography reconstruction for improved assessment of micro-structure and cohesion-induced damages in Al-SiC MMC. The advantages of applying different phase retrieval techniques in the enhancement of image quality and morphological quantification of SiC particles, pores and cohesion damages are discussed. It is observed that the Paganin method offers the best improvement in contrast to noise ratio for the measurement of SiC particles embedded in the Al matrix.

The main aim of this work is to deliver uncertainty propagation analysis for the homogenization process of fibrous metal matrix composites (MMCs). The homogenization method applied here is based on the comparison of the deformation energy of the Representative Volume Element (RVE) for the original and for the homogenized material. This part is completed with the use of the Finite Element Method (FEM) plane strain analysis delivered in the ABAQUS system. The probabilistic goal is achieved by using the response function method, where computer recovery with a few FEM tests enables approximations of polynomial bases for the RVE displacements, and further-algebraic determination of all necessary uncertainty measures. Expected values, standard deviations, and relative entropies are derived in the symbolic algebra system MAPLE; a few different entropy models have been also contrasted including the most popular Kullback-Leibler measure. These characteristics are used to discuss the influence of the uncertainty propagation in the MMCs\' effective material tensor components, but may serve in the reliability assessment by quantification of the distance between extreme responses and the corresponding admissible values.

Metal matrix composites with near-zero thermal expansion (NZTE) have gained significant popularity in high-precision industries due to their excellent thermal stability and mechanical properties. The incorporation of Mn3Zn0.8Sn0.2N, which possesses outstanding negative thermal expansion properties, effectively suppressed the thermal expansion of titanium. Highly dense Mn3Zn0.8Sn0.2N/Ti composites were obtained by adjusting the fabrication temperature. Both composites fabricated at 650 °C and 700 °C exhibited NZTE. Furthermore, finite element analysis was employed to investigate the effects of thermal stress within the composites on their thermal expansion performance.

With the advancement of semiconductor technology, chip cooling has become a major obstacle to enhancing the capabilities of power electronic systems. Traditional electronic packaging materials are no longer able to meet the heat dissipation requirements of high-performance chips. High thermal conductivity (TC), low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), good mechanical properties, and a rich foundation in microfabrication techniques are the fundamental requirements for the next generation of electronic packaging materials. Currently, metal matrix composites (MMCs) composed of high TC matrix metals and reinforcing phase materials have become the mainstream direction for the development and application of high-performance packaging materials. Silicon carbide (SiC) is the optimal choice for the reinforcing phase due to its high TC, low CTE, and high hardness. This paper reviews the research status of SiC-reinforced aluminum (Al) and copper (Cu) electronic packaging materials, along with the factors influencing their thermo-mechanical properties and improvement measures. Finally, the current research status and limitations of conventional manufacturing methods for SiC-reinforced MMCs are summarized, and an outlook on the future development trends of electronic packaging materials is provided.

Powder metallurgy methods, particularly ball milling, are up-and-coming in tuning metal matrix composite (MMC) properties. This study uses ball milling at various milling times to create an aluminum matrix composite (AMC) reinforced with magnetite nanoparticles. The milling time was optimized to create an AMC with favorable mechanical and magnetic properties, and its effect on magnetism, microstructure, and hardness was studied. The AMC displayed the highest magnetic saturation of 11.04 emu/g after 8 h of milling. After compaction and sintering, characterization of the final composite material using Energy Disperse Spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed the presence of Al2O3 and Fe3Al phases leading to enhanced mechanical properties in terms of Vickers hardness that reached a value of 81 Hv corresponding to an increase of 270% compared to unreinforced aluminum.