Experimental Study of Hematite Reinforced Aluminum Metal Matrix Composites subjected to Equal Channel Angular Pressing

Abstract

Composite materials have many advantages over monolithic materials and are being used in modern Engineering Technologies in various applications. In this study an attempt has been made to study the characteristics of composites made of Al6061 with Hematite (Fe2O3) as reinforcement. Aluminum metal Matrix Composites (AMCs) are prepared by varying the percentage of reinforcement as 1%, 2%, 3% & 4%.The specimens were fabricated by stir casting technique which ensures uniform mixing of the reinforcement with matrix material. The Grain size has significant influence on ductility. The Severe Plastic Deformation (SPD) imposes larger plastic deformation and produces ultra fine grains in the specimen. The specimens were subjected to SPD through Equal Channel Angular Pressing (ECAP). It is observed from the results that the deformation load has increased significantly as the% of reinforcement increased, ensuring higher strain hardening. The microstructure of specimens for different percentage reinforcement was studied under Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The study reveals an enhancement in the Mechanical characteristics and reduction in the discontinuities of the grain boundaries of micro structure after ECAP process.