Manufatura aditiva de compósitos de alumínio reforçados com grafeno

Abstract

This study investigates the additive manufacturing of graphene-reinforced aluminum matrix composites, aiming at the development of lighter and more resistant components for the aerospace industry. A brief literature review is presented, as well as the methods and materials used, including specific additive manufacturing processes and aluminum and graphene components. The specimens were manufactured by compacting and molding an aluminum paste with a binder system, used for 3D printing by extruding this material, followed by sintering. Different binder systems were investigated, such as epoxy resin dissolved in ethyl alcohol and PVA dissolved in water. The samples produced with the system with epoxy resin did not show adequate sintering. On the other hand, the specimens produced with the PVA binder showed acceptable sintering. Using the PVA-based binder, specimens of pure aluminum and aluminum with 0.3% and 0.5% of graphene were manufactured for microstructural and hardness analysis. The results indicate that graphene-reinforced aluminum metal matrix composites have the potential to offer lighter and stronger materials in the aerospace industry, with mechanical properties superior to those of pure aluminum such as, for example, greater hardness.