An Investigation on the Mechanical Properties of Hybrid Metal Matrix Composites

• Published in: Procedia engineering 2014, Vol.97, p.918-924
• Main Authors: Krishna, M. Vamsi, Xavior, Anthony. M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aluminium alloy 6061; hybrid composites; Metal matrix composites
• ISSN: 1877-7058; 1877-7058
• DOI: 10.1016/j.proeng.2014.12.367

Aluminium alloy materials found to the best alternative with its unique capacity of designing the materials to give required properties. Aluminium alloy Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs) are gaining wide spread acceptance for automobile, industrial, and aerospace applications because of their low density, high strength and good structural rigidity. In the present work, an attempt is made to prepare and compare the mechanical properties of Al6061-SiC & Al6061-SiC/Graphite hybrid composites. The composites were prepared using stir casting method in which amount of reinforcement is varied from 5-15% in steps of 5wt%. The prepared composites are characterized by microstructural studies and density, and mechanical properties were evaluated as per the standards. The microphotographs of the composites revealed fairly uniform distribution of the particles in composites with clustering at few places. The experimental densities were found to be lower than theoretical densities in all the composites. The dispersed Graphite and SiC in Al6061 alloy contributed in enhancing the tensile strength of the composites. The scanning electron micrographs of the samples indicated uniform distribution of the reinforcement particles in the matrix without any voids.