Investigations on al6061 tib2 in situ metal matrix composites production friction stir welding and characterization

Abstract

The modern industry has realized the importance of weight to strength ratio The available monolithic alloys do not meet the demand of these industries to enhance the product quality and capability Although polymer based composites are finding application in some of the industries they do not completely eliminate the usage of conventional metal alloys Particle reinforced metal matrix composites MMCs can be used in situations where polymer composites cannot be utilized These MMCs have superior mechanical properties when compared to either the conventional monolithic alloys or the polymer composites Some of the important properties include high wear resistance low thermal expansion high strength weight ratio etc Owing to these superior mechanical properties MMCs find application in aircraft structures space shuttles military and shipbuilding The MMCs are yet to revolutionize the industries with its application to all fields of engineering Extensive research is required to develop technology for manufacturing the MMCs in large quantity as well as economically newlineIn the recent past MMCs were fabricated with Aluminum as the matrix material and ceramic particles like SiC Al2O3 SiO2 TiO2 AlN Si3N4 TiC WC ZrB2 etc using in situ ex situ and powder metallurgy techniques Studies have reported that in situ technique can produce MMCs with good quality and high quantity Few researchers have tried TiB2 as the reinforcement since this MMC is used in marine industry But the works thus far have been carried out on MMCs contain only upto 10 wt of TiB2 reinforcement Hence it is necessary to study the fabrication procedures and properties of fabricated Al TiB2 MMC containing more than 10 wt of reinforcement newline newline