Chapter 6
New Design of Composites from Fresh Scraps of Niobium
for Tribological Applications
E. Bayraktar, F. Gatamorta, H. M. Enginsoy, J. E. Polis, and I. Miskioglu
Abstract Niobium is the best and excellent metal for many different industrial applications. Europe has not a Niobium
reserve whereas Brazil has a major Niobium mining and produce %90 of the Niobium in the world as a raw material.
However, the processing of this metal beginning from mining up to the advance processing for the real manufacturing
engineering applications is very expensive and require a sophisticated equipment and investment. However, very huge
amount of scraps of the niobium coming from manufacturing of the pieces is not reprocessed efficiently as valuable and
economic way because quasi all of the scarps goes to the waste. The niobium scraps as an important secondary source of the
raw materials should be evaluated for the manufacturing of the new composite design. As not possible to extract in an
economical way, the recycling of niobium could be a sustainable occasion for the industrial applications.
The present work review of the efficient and sustainable recycling of the fresh scraps of niobium metal in the frame of the
common research project carried out between UNICAMP-Brazil and SUPMECA-France. In this work, aluminium (AA 7075)
matrix composites were designed by using the combined method, sinter + forging through the powder metallurgy route.
Niobium powder obtained fresh scrap by using high energy milling were used as main reinforcement element for the present
work. As secondary reinforcements, fine Ni–Al intermetallic, TiB2, TiC, B4C and Mo powders were added in the matrix in
order to prepare five different compositions. This process consists of the mixing, blending by high energy milling and
compacting of the final composition through the combined method, sinter + forging. In the final stage, material parameters
were optimized for improving physical and mechanical properties of these composites. Damping capacities and damage were
analyzed by drop weight and quasi static compression, scratch wearing tests, etc. Microstructures were analyzed by the
Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM).
6.1 Introduction
Developments of high temperature resistant materials have made considerable help to performance improvements of both
aircraft engines and land-based gas turbines and it is used very often for the pressure vessels in nuclear power plants as a high
resistant materials. Among other applications, niobium based alloys are also used in tribological applications. It ensures a high
resistance to abrasion in every material structure used as a component. In addition, the Niobium element has high hardness,
low density, good corrosion resistance and good conductivity [1–3]. It is a favoured element especially in surface coating
applications. The Niobium element, used in aerospace systems, the automotive industry and many industrial applications,
achieves higher mechanical/physical properties when used with different metals as intermetallic alloy (Ni, Al etc.) [4–6].
E. Bayraktar (*)
Supmeca-Paris, School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Paris, France
University Campinas-UNICAMP-FEM, Campinas, SP, Brazil
e-mail: bayraktar@supmeca.fr
F. Gatamorta · J. E. Polis
University Campinas-UNICAMP-FEM, Campinas, SP, Brazil
e-mail: fabiog@fem.unicamp.br; joaopolis@fem.unicamp.br
H. M. Enginsoy
Supmeca-Paris, School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Paris, France
Usak University, School of Mechanical Engineering, Usak, Turkey
I. Miskioglu
Michigan Technological University ME-EM Department, Houghton, MI, USA
e-mail: imiski@mtu.edu
© The Society for Experimental Mechanics, Inc. 2021
R. P. Singh, V. Chalivendra (eds.), Mechanics of Composite, Hybrid and Multifunctional Materials, Volume 6,
Conference Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Mechanics Series, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59868-6_6
35
New Design of Composites from Fresh Scraps of Niobium
for Tribological Applications
E. Bayraktar, F. Gatamorta, H. M. Enginsoy, J. E. Polis, and I. Miskioglu
Abstract Niobium is the best and excellent metal for many different industrial applications. Europe has not a Niobium
reserve whereas Brazil has a major Niobium mining and produce %90 of the Niobium in the world as a raw material.
However, the processing of this metal beginning from mining up to the advance processing for the real manufacturing
engineering applications is very expensive and require a sophisticated equipment and investment. However, very huge
amount of scraps of the niobium coming from manufacturing of the pieces is not reprocessed efficiently as valuable and
economic way because quasi all of the scarps goes to the waste. The niobium scraps as an important secondary source of the
raw materials should be evaluated for the manufacturing of the new composite design. As not possible to extract in an
economical way, the recycling of niobium could be a sustainable occasion for the industrial applications.
The present work review of the efficient and sustainable recycling of the fresh scraps of niobium metal in the frame of the
common research project carried out between UNICAMP-Brazil and SUPMECA-France. In this work, aluminium (AA 7075)
matrix composites were designed by using the combined method, sinter + forging through the powder metallurgy route.
Niobium powder obtained fresh scrap by using high energy milling were used as main reinforcement element for the present
work. As secondary reinforcements, fine Ni–Al intermetallic, TiB2, TiC, B4C and Mo powders were added in the matrix in
order to prepare five different compositions. This process consists of the mixing, blending by high energy milling and
compacting of the final composition through the combined method, sinter + forging. In the final stage, material parameters
were optimized for improving physical and mechanical properties of these composites. Damping capacities and damage were
analyzed by drop weight and quasi static compression, scratch wearing tests, etc. Microstructures were analyzed by the
Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM).
6.1 Introduction
Developments of high temperature resistant materials have made considerable help to performance improvements of both
aircraft engines and land-based gas turbines and it is used very often for the pressure vessels in nuclear power plants as a high
resistant materials. Among other applications, niobium based alloys are also used in tribological applications. It ensures a high
resistance to abrasion in every material structure used as a component. In addition, the Niobium element has high hardness,
low density, good corrosion resistance and good conductivity [1–3]. It is a favoured element especially in surface coating
applications. The Niobium element, used in aerospace systems, the automotive industry and many industrial applications,
achieves higher mechanical/physical properties when used with different metals as intermetallic alloy (Ni, Al etc.) [4–6].
E. Bayraktar (*)
Supmeca-Paris, School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Paris, France
University Campinas-UNICAMP-FEM, Campinas, SP, Brazil
e-mail: bayraktar@supmeca.fr
F. Gatamorta · J. E. Polis
University Campinas-UNICAMP-FEM, Campinas, SP, Brazil
e-mail: fabiog@fem.unicamp.br; joaopolis@fem.unicamp.br
H. M. Enginsoy
Supmeca-Paris, School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Paris, France
Usak University, School of Mechanical Engineering, Usak, Turkey
I. Miskioglu
Michigan Technological University ME-EM Department, Houghton, MI, USA
e-mail: imiski@mtu.edu
© The Society for Experimental Mechanics, Inc. 2021
R. P. Singh, V. Chalivendra (eds.), Mechanics of Composite, Hybrid and Multifunctional Materials, Volume 6,
Conference Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Mechanics Series, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59868-6_6
35