The synthesis of the particulates Al matrix composites by the compocasting method

Many scientific and engineering applications require optimization methods to find more than one solution to multimodal optimization problems. This paper presents an experimental and computational investigation on the influences of the secondary mechanical processing with different reductions on the porosity, microstructure and mechanical properties of compocast high strength and highly uniform Al matrix composites. Multiple solutions to the problems are located and refined using a new particle swarm optimization (PSO) technique. The technique, NichePSO, extends the inherent unimodal nature of the standard PSO approach by growing multiple swarms from an initial particle population. Each subswarm represents a different solution or niche; optimized individually. The outcome of the NichePSO algorithm is a set of particle swarms, each representing a unique solution. The as-cast composite exhibited higher porosity content as compared with the composite in the rolled conditions. Furthermore, the tensile strength of the composites increased considerably by increasing the reduction ratio in the cold rolling process. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.