Fabrication and characterization of stir casting AA6061-31%B_4C composite

A sophisticated stir casting route to fabricate large scale AA6061-31%B4C composite was developed. Key process parameters were studied, microstructure and mechanical properties of the composite were investigated. The results indicated that vacuum stirring/casting, B4C/Mg feeding and ingots cooling were essential to the successful fabrication of AA6061-31%B4C composite. Chemical erosion examination verified the designed B4 C content; X-ray fluorescence spectrometer（XFS） showed the chemical composition of Mg and Si in the matrix conformed to industry standards; scanning electronic microscope（SEM） and X-ray diffraction（XRD） revealed that B4 C particles were evenly distributed in the composites with well dispersed Mg2Si precipitates. Tensile testing results showed that the AA6061-31%B4C composite had a tensile strength of 340 MPa, improved by 112.5% compared with AA1100-31%B4C composite, which is attributed to the enhanced strength of the matrix alloy.

Introduction to magnesium alloy processing technology and development of low-cost stir casting process for magnesium alloy and its composites

This paper presents the processing of magnesium alloys and its composite through different stir casting technologies.Design and devel-opment of stir casting technology that is suitable for processing of magnesium alloys has been done in this study.The low-cost stir casting processing of magnesium alloy and its composite with flux and without flux has been explained.The magnesium alloy and its composite have been fabricated by both the stir casting process.The micro structural characterization and mechanical properties of the developed composites has been evaluated.The optical emission spectroscopy of the developed alloy and factography of the developed alloy as well as composite was also examined.

Fabrication of AA2024−TiO2 nanocomposites through stir casting process

Given the nonuse of TiO2 nanoparticles as the reinforcement of AA2024 alloy in fabricating composites by ex-situ casting methods,it was decided to process the AA2024−xTiO2(np)(x=0,0.5 and 1 vol.%)nanocomposites by employing the stir casting method.The structural properties of the produced samples were then investigated by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy;their mechanical properties were also addressed by hardness and tensile tests.The results showed that adding 1 vol.%TiO2 nanoparticles reduced the grain size and dendrite arm spacing by about 66%and 31%,respectively.Also,hardness,ultimate tensile strength,yield strength,and elongation of AA2024−1vol.%TiO2(np)composite were increased by about 25%,28%,4%and 163%,respectively,as compared to those of the monolithic component.The agglomerations of nanoparticles in the structure of nanocomposites were found to be a factor weakening the strength against the strengthening mechanisms.Some agglomerations of nanoparticles in the matrix were detected on the fractured surfaces of the tension test specimens.

Fabrication and characterization of GNPs and CNTs reinforced Al7075 matrix composites through the stir casting process

This study investigated the effects of adding graphene nanoplates(GNPs)and carbon nanotubes(CNTs)into the Al7075 matrix via the stir casting method on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the fabricated composites.By increasing the volume fraction of rein-forcements,the fraction of porosity increased.The X-ray diffraction results showed that the addition of reinforcements into the Al7075 changed the dominant crystal orientation from(002)to(111).Field emission scanning electron microscopy images also showed the distribution of clustered reinforcements in the matrix.Between the two reinforcements,the addition of CNTs generated a lower fraction of porosities.Through the addition of 0.52vol%GNPs into the matrix,the hardness,ultimate tensile strength and uniform elongation increased by 44%,32%,and 180%,respectively.Meanwhile,the presence of 0.71vol%CNTs in the matrix increased the hardness,tensile strength and uniform elongation by 108%,129%,and 260%,respectively.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of aluminium metal matrix composites with addition of bamboo leaf ash by stir casting method

Al-4.5%Cu alloy was used as a matrix at2%,4%and6%of bamboo leaf ash(BLA)which was extruded from agro waste and was used as reinforcement.The composite which was fabricated by stir casting method possessed superior properties due to an effective bonding between matrix and reinforcement particles.The fabricated composite specimens were subjected to various tests to determine the mechanical properties such as density,porosity,hardness and tensile strength.The results were compared with basic matrix alloy.Furthermore,the OM,SEM with EDAX and XRD analyses were carried out to analyze the dispersion of the reinforced particles in the selected matrix alloy.It was observed that the homogeneous distribution of BLA particles in composites was intragranular in nature.Moreover,it was also observed that BLA particles were well bonded with matrix alloy with clear interface.It was also found that the density decreased with increase in mass fraction of BLA particles and porosity increased with increase in mass fraction of BLA particles.The hardness and tensile strength were increased up to4%of BLA in the composite,with a further increase in BLA content the hardness and tensile strength decreased.

Microstructure,mechanical response and fractography of AZ91E/Al_(2)O_(3)_(p) nano composite fabricated by semi solid stir casting method

The present study confers to the fabrication and its characterization of magnesium alloy(AZ91E)based nano composites with nano Al_(2)O_(3) particulate reinforcements.A novel Semi Solid stir casting technique was adopted for the fabrication of the composite.An average particle size of 50 nm was used as reinforcement to disperse in matrix.The effects of change in weight fraction of reinforcements on the distribution of particles,particle–matrix interfacial reactions,physical as well as mechanical properties were reported.The SEM and EDS analysis has shown the uniform distribution of particles in the composite along with the presence of elements.The mechanical properties of reinforced and unreinforced composite were evaluated and presented.Fractography of tensile specimens was also discussed.

Fabrication characteristics and tensile strength of novel Al2024/SiC/red mud composites processed via stir casting route

The stir casting technique was used to fabricate aluminum2024matrix hybrid composites reinforced with SiC(5%,mass fraction)and red mud(5%-20%,mass fraction)particles.The developed composites were characterized by using scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and electron dispersive spectrum(EDS)techniques.Further,Taguchi’s approach of experimental design was used to examine the tensile strength of the hybrid composites(with minimum number of experiments).It was found that the reinforcing particles were well dispersed and adequately bonded in the hybrid composites.The density and porosity of the hybrid composites were reduced with the increase in reinforcement content.The tensile strength of the composites increased with the increase in the red mud content and the ageing time.The developed model indicated that the red mud content had the highest influence on the tensile strength response followed by the ageing time.Overall,it was found that Al2024/SiC/red mud composites exhibited superior tensile strength(about34%higher)in comparison to the Al2024alloy under optimized conditions.

Prediction of influence of process parameters on tensile strength of AA6061/TiC aluminum matrix composites produced using stir casting

Stir casting was used to produce AA6061/15%TiC （mass fraction） aluminum matrix composites （AMCs）. An empirical relationship was developed to predict the effect of stir casting parameters on the ultimate tensile strength （UTS） of AA6061/TiC AMCs. A central composite rotatable design consisting of four factors and five levels was used to minimize the number of experiments, i.e., castings. The factors considered were stirring speed, stirring time, blade angle and casting temperature. The effect of those factors on the UTS of AA6061/TiC AMCs was derived using the developed empirical relationship and elucidated using microstructural characterization. Each factor significantly influenced the UTS. The variation in the UTS was attributed to porosity content, cluster formation, segregation of TiC particles at the grain boundaries and homogenous distribution in the aluminum matrix.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of rutile-reinforced AA6061 matrix composites produced via stir casting process

A novel process of fabricating aluminium matrix composites(AMCs)with requisite properties by dispersing rutile particles in the aluminum matrix was studied.A novel bi-stage stir casting method was employed to prepare composites,by varying the mass fractions of the rutile particles as 1%,2%,3%and 4%in AA6061 matrix.The density,tensile strength,hardness and microstructures of composites were investigated.Bi-stage stir casting method engendered AMCs with uniform distribution of the reinforced rutile particles in the AA6061 matrix.This was confirmed by the enhancement of the properties of AMCs over the parent base material.Rutile-reinforced AMCs exhibited higher tensile strength and hardness as compared with unreinforced parent material.The properties of the composites were enhanced with the increase in the mass fraction of the rutile particles.However,beyond 3 wt.%of rutile particles,the tensile strength decreased.The hardness and tensile strength of the AMCs reinforced with 3 wt.%of rutile were improved by 36%and 14%respectively in comparison with those of matrix alone.

Optimization of mechanical properties using D-optimal factorial design of experiment: Electromagnetic stir casting process of A357-SiC nanocomposite

Electromagnetic stir casting process of A357-Si C nanocomposite was discussed using the D-optimal design of experiment(DODOE) method. As the main objective, nine random experiments obtained by DX-7 software were performed. By this method, A357-Si C nanocomposites with 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 wt.% Si C were fabricated at three different frequencies(10, 35 and 60 Hz) in the experimental stage. The microstructural evolution was characterized by scanning electron and optical microscopes, and the mechanical properties were investigated using hardness and roomtemperature uniaxial tensile tests. The results showed that the homogeneous distribution of Si C nanoparticles leads to the microstructure evolution from dendritic to non-dendritic form and a reduction of size by 73.9%. Additionally, based on DODOE, F-values of 44.80 and 179.64 were achieved for yield stress(YS) and ultimate tensile strength(UTS), respectively, implying that the model is significant and the variables(Si C fraction and stirring frequency) were appropriately selected. The optimum values of the Si C fraction and stirring frequency were found to be 1.5 wt.% and 60 Hz, respectively. In this case, YS and UTS for A357-Si C nanocomposites were obtained to be 120 and 188 MPa(57.7% and 57.9 % increase compared with those of the as-cast sample), respectively.

Effect of reinforcement content on the adhesive wear behavior of Cu10Sn5Ni/Si3N4 composites produced by stir casting

The main objective of this paper was to fabricate CuSnNi alloy and its composites reinforced with various contents of SiNparticles(5wt%, 10wt%, and 15wt%) and to investigate their dry sliding wear behavior using a pin-on-disk tribometer. Microstructural examinations of the specimens revealed a uniform dispersion of SiNparticles in the copper matrix. Wear experiments were performed for all combinations of parameters, such as load(10, 20, and 30 N), sliding distance(500, 1000, and 1500 m), and sliding velocity(1, 2, and 3 m/s), for the alloy and the composites. The results revealed that wear rate increased with increasing load and increasing sliding distance, whereas the wear rate decreased and then increased with increasing sliding velocity. The primary wear mechanism encountered at low loads was mild adhesive wear, whereas that at high loads was severe delamination wear. An oxide layer was formed at low velocities, whereas a combination of shear and plastic deformation occurred at high velocities. The mechanism at short sliding distances was ploughing action of SiNparticles, which act as protrusions; by contrast, at long sliding distances, direct metal–metal contact occurred. Among the investigated samples, the Cu/10wt% SiNcomposite exhibited the best wear resistance at a load of 10 N, a velocity of 2 m/s, and a sliding distance of 500 m.

Effects of yttrium addition and aging on mechanical properties of AA2024 fabricated through multi-step stir casting

The effects of yttrium and artificial aging on AA2024 alloy were investigated.The developed samples were further subjected to artificial aging at 190℃for 1-10 h with an interval of 1 h.The metallurgical characterization was done by scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffraction.The mechanical characterization like hardness and tensile strength of the samples was done using computerized Vickers hardness testing machine and universal testing machine.The microstructures revealed that addition of yttrium refined theα(Al)matrix and led to the formation of Al-Cu-Y intermetallic in the shape of Chinese script which strengthened the samples.Compared to the base metal,samples with yttrium addition showed better mechanical properties.The sample reinforced with 0.3 wt.%yttrium showed the highest mechanical properties with the hardness of 66 HV,UTS of 223 MPa,YS of 180 MPa,and elongation of 20.9%.The artificially aged samples showed that the peak hardening of all the samples took place within 5 h of aging at 190℃with Al2 Cu precipitation.Aging changed the intermetallic from Chinese script to the fibrous form.The optimum amount of yttrium addition to AA2024 was found to be 0.3 wt.%.

Synthesis and characterization of 356-SiC_p composites by stir casting and compocasting methods

Stir casting is one of the simplest ways of producing aluminum matrix composites.However,it suffers from poor incorporation and distribution of the reinforcement particles in the matrix.These problems become especially significant as the reinforcement size decreases due to greater agglomeration tendency and reduced wettability of the particles with the melt.Development of new methods for addition of very fine particles to metallic melts which would result in more uniform distribution and effective incorporation of the reinforcement particles into the matrix alloy is therefore valuable.In this work,356-5%SiCp(volume fraction) composites,with average SiCp sizes of about 8 and 3 μm,were produced by injection of different forms of the reinforcement particles into fully liquid as well as semisolid slurries of 356 aluminum alloy and the effects of the injected reinforcement form and the casting method on distribution of the reinforcement particles as well as their porosity,hardness and impact strength were investigated.The results reveal that addition of SiC particles in the form of(Al-SiCp)cp composite powder and casting in semisolid state decreases the SiCp particle size,enhances the wettability between the molten matrix alloy and the reinforcements and improves the distribution of the reinforcement particles in the solidified matrix.It also increases the hardness and the impact energy of the composites and decreases their porosity.

Effect of Processing Paramters on Metal Matrix Composites: Stir Casting Process

Conventional stir casting process has been employed for producing discontinuous particle reinforced metal matrix composites for decades. The major problem of this process is to obtain sufficient wetting of particle by liquid metal and to get a homogenous dispersion of the ceramic particles. In the present study, aluminium metal matrix composites were fabricated by different processing temperatures with different holding time to understand the influence of process parameters on the distribution of particle in the matrix and the resultant mechanical properties. The distribution is examined by microstructure analysis, hardness distribution and density distribution.

Fabrication and Studying the Mechanical Properties of A356 Alloy Reinforced with Al₂O₃-10% Vol. ZrO₂Nano-particles through Stir Casting

Al2O3-ZrO2 with a high level of hardness and toughness is known as ceramic steel. Due to its unique properties it can be used as a reinforcement in fabrication of metal matrix composites. In this study, nanoparticles of Al2O3-10% ZrO2 with an average size of 80 nm were used to fabricate Al matrix composites containing 0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2 wt.% of the reinforcement. The fabrication route was stir casting at 850?C. There is no report about usage of this reinforcement in fabrication of composites in the literature. The microstructures of the as-cast composites were studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Density measurement, hardness and tensile properties were carried out to identify the mechanical properties of the composites. The results revealed that with increasing the reinforcement content, density decreased while yield, ultimate tensile strength and compressive strength increased. Also, hardness increased by increasing the reinforcement content up to 1 wt.% Al2O3-10% ZrO2 but it decreased in the samples containing higher amounts of reinforcement.

Processing and mechanical properties of SiC particulate reinforced AZ91 composites fabricated by stir casting

The influence of stirring parameters (stirring temperature, stirring speed and stirring time) on the particle distribution of 10%(volume fraction) SiC particulate reinforced AZ91 composites (SiCp/AZ91) was studied. It is found that it is necessary for 10μm SiC particulate reinforced AZ91 composites to stir the molten composites in semi-solid condition with vortex formation, or else the cluster of the reinforcements would not be eliminated. Compared with the monolithic alloy, the SiCp/AZ91 composite has higher strength, especially for yield strength, but the elongation is reduced. For the as-cast composite, the particles often segregate within the grain boundary regions. Extrusion can effectively reduce the segregation of SiC particles and improve the mechanical properties of the composite. The extrusion-induced reduction in particle size varies with extrusion temperatures and extrusion ratios. The effect of extrusion-induced reduction in particle size on the mechanical properties of the composites is not always beneficial.

Influence of Boron Fiber Powder and Graphite Reinforcements on Physical and Mechanical Properties of Aluminum 2024 Alloy Fabricated by Stir Casting

In this study, boron fiber powder and graphite is reinforced to Al 2024 alloy to develop hybrid metal matrix composite by stir casting process. Hybrid MMCs developed with different weight fraction for 4%, 6%, 8% and 10% of boron fiber and 2% of graphite. Stirring parameters are optimized to obtain solid casting. Reinforcements are poured into molten aluminium at 15 g/min and stirrer is rotated for 5 minutes at 250 rpm with two stages stirring. 1% of magnesium was added to improve the wettability of Al 2024. Cast samples are machined as per the standards to investigate the microstructure, physical and mechanical properties. Optical and SEM analysis was carried out on machined sample to study the uniform distribution of particles. XRD and EDAX analysis is carried out to confirm the dispersion of particles into the matrix. Uniform distribution of the particles is found in optical and SEM images for these stirring parameters. The peak representation of boron and graphite particles is also observed in XRD and EDAX analysis. Theoretical and experimental density of the cast sample is determined by rule of mixture and Archimedes principle. Result shows the density of the composite decreases by increasing percentage of reinforcements. Micro Vickers hardness was tested on the cast composites and the result showed Al 2024 alloy hardness was increased by 31.25% by reinforcing boron and graphite. Similarly, tensile and compression strength increased by increasing the percentage of reinforcement. Tensile and compression strength of Al 2024 alloy increased by 45.23% and 29.18% respectively. The ductility of the composites decreased by increasing the percentage of reinforcements.

Equal Channel Angular Pressing of Al-SiC Composites Fabricated by Stir Casting

Stir casting method was used to produce conventional metal matrix composites (MMC) with fairly homogenous dispersion of reinforcement material. Commercial pure aluminum and silicon carbide particles (50 μm) were selected as matrix and reinforcement materials respectively. The matrix was first completely melt and kept constant at 750°C. Then SiC powder preheated to 800°C was added during stirring action. No wetting agents were used. The melt mixture was poured into a metallic mold. The composite contents were adjusted to contain 5% and 10% SiC. The as-cast composites were processed by Equal Channel Angular Pressing (ECAP) route A. The microstructure and mechanical properties were studied. Results indicated that as cast AlSiC composites can be successfully fabricated via a cheap conventional stir casting method, giving fairly dispersed SiC particle distribution and having low porosity levels 3.6%. The mechanical properties have improved compared to as cast composites. ECAP technique has greatly reduced SiC particles from 50 to 3 μm. After the first ECAP pass, yield strength has almost twice its value in the as cast composites. The maximum yield of 245 MPa obtained after 8 passes is almost four times the corresponding values of the as cast MMC composites. Hardness has also increased to 1.5 times its value in the as cast composites after one ECAP pass. The maximum hardness of 71 HRB obtained after 8 passes, which is almost 3.5 times the corresponding values of the as cast MMC composites.

Machine Learning-Based Research on Tensile Strength of SiC-Reinforced Magnesium Matrix Composites via Stir Casting

SiC is the most common reinforcement in magnesium matrix composites,and the tensile strength of SiC-reinforced magnesium matrix composites is closely related to the distribution of SiC.Achieving a uniform distribution of SiC requires fine control over the parameters of SiC and the processing and preparation process.However,due to the numerous adjustable parameters,using traditional experimental methods requires a considerable amount of experimentation to obtain a uniformly distributed composite material.Therefore,this study adopts a machine learning approach to explore the tensile strength of SiC-reinforced magnesium matrix composites in the mechanical stirring casting process.By analyzing the influence of SiC parameters and processing parameters on composite material performance,we have established an effective predictive model.Furthermore,six different machine learning regression models have been developed to predict the tensile strength of SiC-reinforced magnesium matrix composites.Through validation and comparison,our models demonstrate good accuracy and reliability in predicting the tensile strength of the composite material.The research findings indicate that hot extrusion treatment,SiC content,and stirring time have a significant impact on the tensile strength.

Stir casting process for manufacture of Al-SiC composites

Stir casting is an economical process for the fabrication of aluminum matrix composites. There are many parameters in this process, which affect the final microstructure and mechanical properties of the compos- ites. In this study, micron-sized SiC particles were used as reinforcement to fabricate A1-3 wt% SiC composites at two casting temperatures （680 and 850 ℃） and stirring periods （2 and 6 min）. Factors of reaction at matrix/ceramic interface, porosity, ceramic incorporation, and agglomera- tion of the particles were evaluated by scanning electron microscope （SEM） and high-resolution transition electron microscope （HRTEM） studies. From microstructural char- acterizations, it is concluded that the shorter stirring period is required for ceramic incorporation to achieve metal/ce- ramic bonding at the interface. The higher stirring tem- perature （850 ℃） also leads to improved ceramic incorporation. In some cases, shrinkage porosity and intensive formation of A14C3 at the metal/ceramic interface are also observed. Finally, the mechanical properties of the composites were evaluated, and their relation with the corresponding microstructure and processing parameters of the composites was discussed.