Mechanical Behaviors of Al-Based Metal Composites Fabricated by Stir Casting Technique

Abstract

Recently, the demands of composite materials used in various engineering applications are growing higher because of their outstanding mechanical and thermal properties. This study represents an experimental investigation to determine mechanical properties of Al-based composites materials using Cu and SiC as reinforcement. Al-30-wt%-Cu, Al-40-wt%-Cu, Al-30-wt%-SiC, and Al-40-wt%-SiC composite bars were fabricated using stir casting process to ensure uniform distribution of reinforced elements. The composite bars were prepared into required shape to conduct test for evaluating mechanical properties. Al-40-wt%-Cu shows improved properties such as, hardness, strength, and impact energy absorption than Al-30-wt%-Cu due to more presence of Cu content. Al-30-wt%-Cu and Al-40-wt%-Cu bars showed improved mechanical properties than both Al-30-wt%-SiC and Al-40-wt%-SiC. It is also seen that Al-30-wt%-Cu and Al-40-wt%-Cu showed high hardness, yield strength, and impact energy absorption compared to Al-30-wt%-SiC and Al-40-wt%-Cu respectively. On the other hand, Al-30-wt%-Cu is 3.5% lightweight than Al-30-wt%-SiC and Al-40-wt%-Cu is 2.11% lightweight than Al-40-wt%-SiC. Al-30-wt%-Cu and Al-40-wt%-Cu showed improved specific hardness, specific yield strength, and specific impact energy absorption compared to Al-30-wt%-SiC and Al-40-wt%-Cu respectively. In addition, Al-40-wt%-Cu showed better mechanical properties among the bars.