Enhancing mechanical and wear performances of magnesium matrix composites using low-cost squid quill ash

Abstract

The increasing demand for lightweight, cost-effective aerospace and automotive components with higher performance promotes interest in the use of naturally occurring materials, such as magnesium composites with natural and low-cost reinforcements. This research focuses on stir casting to reinforce magnesium matrix composites with squid quill ash (SQA) particles, aiming to improve their mechanical and wear performances. The results show that the mechanical and wear properties of magnesium matrix composites can be improved significantly by increasing the SQA content. Incorporating 10% SQA reinforcements in AZ91 magnesium alloy leads to a maximum increase in hardness, yield strength, and ultimate tensile strength by 32.34%, 18.86%, and 12.34%, respectively. When compared to the matrix alloy, the wear resistance of the composites reinforced with 5 wt% and 10 wt% of SQA particles is improved by 14.05% and 30.81%, respectively. These findings demonstrated the feasibility of using SQA particles in the production of magnesium matrix composites. This not only reduces environmental impact by repurposing SQA, but also provides a practical method for the economical utilization of SQA particles in the fabrication of magnesium matrix composites for aerospace and automotive applications.