Mechanical and microstructural behaviour of aluminium/TiB2 composites fabricated through multi-pass friction stir processing

Abstract

Friction stir processing (FSP) is a novel solid-state technique developed to refine microstructure and improve mechanical properties. FSP is the most suitable technique for fabricating the surface and bulk metal matrix composites. The aluminum metal matrix composites fabricated using the stir processing technique. The reinforcement particles of titanium diboride (TiB2) particles were added to aluminum alloy in the solid-state. The mechanical properties of fabricated composites such as tensile and hardness were evaluated. The experimental results found that the tensile and hardness response significantly improved with an increase in the number of passes. The microstructural behavior of composites was carried out using an optical microscope and scanning electron microscopy. It is observed that the TiB2 reinforcement particles were uniformly dispersed in the matrix material. The observed microstructures have been correlated with mechanical properties.