Abstract
The effect of heat treatment and aging at various temperatures for different intervals of time on the microstructure of ZA-27 matrix alloy and aluminite particulate reinforced ZA-27 alloy metal matrix composites (MMCs) has been studied using micro hardness, electrical resistivity, X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) data. The composite samples were aged at 32, 80, 180, and 250°C after solutionizing at 320°C for 3 h followed by cold water quenching. The micro hardness values showed an initial increase reaching a peak value which was followed by a reduction in hardness values with increase in aging time. The trend followed by electrical resistivity was very similar to that of hardness. Further, the time to reach peak hardness decreased with increase in the weight percentage of the reinforcement. These results indicated that the aging and precipitation kinetics in the matrix alloy are significantly accelerated due to the presence of particulate reinforcement. Changes in the properties of the composites during aging are explained on the basis of micro structural alterations caused by the heat treatment.
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