Effect of SiC on structure and property of 2017 aluminium alloy

Abstract

ABSTRACT In its early days, microwave was mainly used in food industries. Later, it was demonstrated by researchers that all metal powders absorb microwaves at room temperature and only the bulk metal reflects microwaves with slight surface penetration. Hence, in recent days, microwave energy is being aggressively used for an extensive range of applications in material processing. This is because of its several major advantages in terms of processing time, heating rates, improved mechanical properties, etc. The study deals with the compacted 2017 aluminium–copper-based alloy powder interacting with microwaves at 470ºC and describes how density and hardness vary with respect to changes in wt.% (0%, 5% and 10%) of silicon carbide (SiC) in aluminium alloy. The study reveals that aluminium alloy with 10% SiC possesses the highest hardness and the lowest density among all. Further, microstructural investigation was carried out to validate results. Results showed that addition of SiC resulted in improvement in hardness and reduction in density of 2017 aluminium alloy which makes the alloy mechanically stronger and lighter, which are the two most desirable attributes for any structural applications.