Fabricación de un material funcionalmente graduado mediante la máquina de colado centrífugo horizontal del laboratorio de fundición de la Escuela Politécnica Nacional : Fabricar un material funcionalmente graduado con matriz de aluminio y refuerzo de partículas cerámicas.

Abstract

The present project aims to fabricate a functionally graded material (FGM) of aluminum matrix with silicon carbide (SiC) particle reinforcement. The FGM will be manufactured taking into account specific parameters such as mold rotation speed, matrix temperature, SiC particle size (#320 mesh), particle weight percentage and mold preheating temperature; once these parameters are defined, the FGM will be manufactured with the help of a gas furnace, a Stir Casting equipment and the centrifugal casting machine available at the foundry laboratory of the National Polytechnic School. For the process, a 5000 g casting will be made, consisting of: aluminum matrix, SiC particles, flux, degassing agent and the grain refiner. The process starts by melting the aluminum matrix, then adding the flux and the degassing agent, to slag the casting, then the SiC particles are added progressively, which will be mixed with the help of the Stir Casting machine maintaining a temperature of approximately 750ºC, to then pour the casting (composed by the Al matrix and the SiC) in the horizontal centrifugal casting machine that must be previously preheated and started up at a speed of 1000 rpm, which will result in a functionally graduated tube. The material will be characterized by means of specimens obtained from the fabricated tube through a metallographic analysis to verify if it is a FGM and finally perform a micro hardness test.