Guoquan Tong

Graphene-reinforced metal matrix nanocomposites – a review

The research works of graphene-reinforced metal matrix composites will be summarised in this paper. Comparatively, much less research works have been undertaken in this field. Graphene has been thought to be an ideal reinforcement material for composites due to its unique two-dimensional structure and outstanding physical and mechanical properties. It is expected to yield structural materials with high specific strength or functional materials with exciting thermal and electrical characteristics. This paper will introduce all kinds of graphene-reinforced metal matrix composites that have been studied. The microstructure and mechanical properties, processing techniques, graphene dispersion, strengthening mechanisms, interfacial reactions between graphene and the metal matrix and future research works in this field will be discussed.

Optimal welding parameters for small-scale resistance spot welding with response surface methodology

In this study, Ti–1Al–1Mn thin foils with thickness of 0.05 mm were welded by small-scale resistance spot welding. Welding current, electrode force and welding time have been changed while other welding parameters remained constant. The welded joints were subjected to tensile shear tests for determining the values of shear force and absorption energy. A quadratic model of response surface methodology based on Box–Behnken design was employed in establishing regression equations between input variables (current, electrode force and time) and output variables (shear force, absorption energy, variance of shear force and variance of absorption energy). The models were satisfied in optimising the welding parameters. Besides, the microstructure analysis on the typical spot welds was also conducted. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Effect of weld nugget size on failure mode and mechanical properties of microscale resistance spot welds on Ti–1Al–1Mn ultrathin foils

We use tensile–shear tests to investigate the failure modes of Ti–1Al–1Mn microscale resistance spot welds and to determine how the failure mode affects the microstructure, microhardness profile, and mechanical performance. Two different failure modes were revealed: interfacial failure mode and pullout failure mode. The welds that fail by pullout failure mode have much better mechanical properties than those that fail by interfacial failure mode. The results show that weld nugget size is also a principal factor that determines the failure mode of microscale resistance spot welds. A minimum weld nugget size exists above which all specimens fail by pullout failure mode. However, the critical weld nugget sizes calculated using the existing recommendations are not consistent with the present experimental results. We propose instead a modified model based on distortion energy theory to ensure pullout failure. Calculating the critical weld nugget size using this model provides results that are consistent with the experimental data to high accuracy.