Investigation on mechanical properties of AlZrCr- A12O3 nanocomposites fabricated by stir casting

Abstract

Aluminum alloy composite with nano Al2O3 reinforcement will be designed to have good mechanical properties that correspond to its application. The addition of nano Al2O3 in aluminum is to increase strength and stiffness. In this study aluminum matrix made as a master alloy with the addition of zirconium (Zr) and cerium (Ce) to form Al-Zr-Ce alloys which was reinforced with nanoscale alumina particles known as nano aluminum composite which has high strength and stiffness. Master alloy Al-Zr-Ce used as a matrix content of 0.12 wt% Zr and 0.13 wt% Ce, while Al2O3 nano particles (<100nm) used as reinforcement was various in the range of 0-3 Vf%. Aluminum composite was produced by stirring of molten metal with a rotational speed of 500 rpm at a temperature of 750°C in an inert argon gas environment then characterized both mechanical properties and microstructure analysis. The tensile strength increased with increasing Al2O3 nano particles up to 1 Vf%. Mechanical properties of composites were slightly increased and there was no significant change in elongation and hardness, perhaps due to the non-uniformity distribution or clustering formation of particles in the matrix.