Use of Carbon Nanotubes for Modifying the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Al–Mg Alloys

A technology of metal modification with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is developed using electric arc surfacing. It involves the use of extruded metal rods containing CNTs as a deposited material. This technology is used to modify an AMg5 alloy. A comparison of the macro- and microstructures of the metal modified by the developed technology by adding CNTs and the corresponding unmodified metal does not reveal a significant difference. However, CNTs are detected in the modified metal using scanning electron microscopy, and microhardness analysis shows that the addition of CNTs increases the microhardness of the upper layers of the deposited metal.