Abstract:

In recent years, aluminum alloy-based metal matrix composites (MMC) are gaining im-portance in several aerospaceand automobile applications.Aluminum has been used as matrix material owing to its excellent mechanical properties coupled with goodformability and its wide applications inindustrial sector Addtion of B4CANDSIC and SICasrein forcementin-Al6061alloysystemsimprovesitshardness,tensilestrengthandwearsresistance.Inthepresent in-vestigationAl6061–B₄C&SICcompositeswerefabricated by liquid metallurgy route with per-centages of B₄C and SIC varying from 2weight% to 8 Wt.% in steps of 2 wt.%. The cast ma-trix alloy and its composites have been subjectedto solution zing treatment atatempera-tureof500°Cfor1h followed by quenching indifferent mediasuchasair,waterandice.The quenchedsamplesare then subjected to both naturalandartificial-ageing.Microstructuralstudieshavebeencarriedoutto under standthenatureofstruc-tu-re.Mechanicalpropertiessuchasmicrohardness,Heattreatment,andabrasiveweartestshavebeenconductedbothonmatrixAl6061andAl6061–B₄C&SICcomposite sbeforeandafterheattreat-ment.However,underidentical heat treatment conditions, adopted Al6061–B₄C& SIC compo-sites exhibitedbetter micro hardness and tensile strength reduced wear loss when compared with Almatrix alloy

Description:

.