Effect of B4C and graphene on the microstructural and mechanical properties of Al6061 matrix composites

Abstract

Materials that are lightweight with superior strength and improved structural properties have consistently been highly sought after in the aircraft and automobile industries for their superior performance. This study investigates the effect of graphene and boron carbide (B4C) additions on the microstructural & mechanical properties of Al6061 MMCs in fabricated and T6 heat-treated conditions. The powder metallurgy technique is used to fabricate the Al6061 hybrid composites reinforced with different volume fractions. i.e 0.5,1 wt% of graphene and 3,6 wt% of B4C. XRD, Optical microscope, FE-SEM with EDAX mapping, Hardness, and Compression tests were employed to evaluate and characterize the Al6061/Gr/B4C hybrid composites. After the T6 ageing treatment, both hardness and compressive strength were increased to 61.08% and 68.51% compared to base Al6061 matrix alloy. The sample Al6061/0.5% Gr/6%B4C-T6 exhibits the highest hardness value of 91HV and sample Al6061/1%Gr/6%B4C-T6 gives the value of higher compressive strength of 298 MPa. The higher tensile strength was observed in the sample Al6061/0.5%Gr/6%B4C-T6 which is 209.53 MPa with 8.907% elongation. The T6 heat treatment has a significant role in the strength improvement. Whereas increment in graphene has no impact on the tensile strength. The tensile strength of Al6061/0.5%Gr/6%B4C-T6 was improved by 43.56% compared to the base Al6061 alloy.