Fabrication of AA6061-sea sand composite and analysis of its properties

Abstract

Aluminium matrix composites (AMCs) are widely used in various applications because of their excellent properties; however, their lightweightness limits their broad application scope. Various ceramic compounds are used as reinforcements in AMCs, such as Al2O3, SiC, ZrO2, and TiO2. However, the use of ceramic compounds results in high production costs in AMC manufacturing. Thus, the substitution of reinforcement particles with various organic and industrial waste reinforcements is required. In line with the research trend of using industrial waste materials such as rice husk ash, red mud, and fly ash, this study uses sea sand as an AMC reinforcement. Sea sand is used because it primarily contains SiO2 and Fe3O4 ceramic compounds and, thus, can be used as a reinforcement. This study aims to determine the physical and mechanical properties of an AA6061–sea sand composite. Sea sand was subjected to electroless coating to increase its wettability before the stir-casting process. The as-prepared composite was manufactured by the stir-casting method upon the addition of 2–6 wt% sea sand. Composite characterisation was carried out through Brinell hardness and tensile tests. The results showed that the electroless-coated composites possessed lower porosity and, therefore, higher hardness and ultimate tensile strength than the non-electroless-coated composites.