Processing and Manufacturing of Metal Matrix Aluminum Alloys Composites Reinforced by Silicon Carbide and Alumina through Powder Metallurgy Techniques

Abstract

Composites are combinations of two materials in which one of the materials, called the reinforcing phase, is in the form of fibers, sheets, or particles and is embedded in the other materials called the matrix phase. If the composite is designed and fabricated correctly, it combines the strength of the reinforcement with the toughness of the matrix to achieve a combination of desirable properties not available in any single conventional material. In this work of research aluminium alloy AA6061 was reinforced by 5, 10 and 15% (in mass %) of SiC and Al2O3 by mechanical alloying in a vibratory type SPEX mill, cold uniaxial compaction and vacuum sintering in order to investigate the influence of the particulate phase in the microstructure and mechanical properties of the composites obtained. The microstructure of the powders and the sintered materials were evaluated by SEM and the hardness was evaluated by hardness tests.