P K Dash^1,, Prof. B. S. Murty², R B Karthik Aamanchi³

This paper presents the synthesis and mechanical properties study of Aluminum-Copper nanocomposite powders with variation in volume percentages of alumina. The powders were synthesized using mechanical alloying (high energy ball milling technique). Samples of size 2010 mm were produced from nanocomposite powders by spark plasma sintering technique and conventional sintering method. The microstructural verifications were carried out using X-ray diffraction. Transition electron microscopy were used to determine the phases formed and size of the particles. Thermal analysis and hardness of these samples were measured by conducting DSC and Vickers’s Hardness Test. Also, the powders of ACANC were embedded into Glass/Epoxy laminates for further identification of NC powders effects on mechanical properties like tensile and compressive strength. The samples prepared using conventional sintering technique had gone through two different types of annealing before sintering and shown enhanced hardness, yield strength and increment in density. The nanocomposite embedded laminates have shown improved tensile, compression and hardness values in compare to virgin specimens.

Al-Cu-Alumina-Nano-Composite (ACANC), plasma sintering technique, X-ray diffraction, TEM, DSC, GFRC, mechanical properties