Investigation on the Effect of Particle Distribution in Al 6061 subjected to Die Casting

Abstract

Composites such as Al6061 - Al2O3Metal matrix composites are mainly used in the field of automotive, marine and aerospace applications to enhance the stability of resulting composites. In the present work, an attempt has been made to develop metal matrix composite with Al6061 as the matrix material. Size of the Al2O3 particulates the range from 40 to 100 and#956;m are reinforced using die casting technique. The level of reinforcement is varied from 0-16wt% in steps of 4wt%. The level of homogeneity of particle distribution of the resulting composites has been determined by using micro structural characterization. Tensile, hardness, wear, corrosion, fatigue and fracture properties of Al6061 - Al2O3 composite have been analyzed. Effect of reinforcement on the hardness, wear, corrosion, fatigue, tensile and fracture properties is studied thoroughly. Enhancement in all the mechanical properties is observed in terms of tensile, hardness, wear, corrosion, fatigue and fracture properties. At a loading level of 12 % fillers in to the matrix exhibits the superior strength among the series of samples prepared. The nature of distribution of particulates has been analyzed by using Scanning Electron Microscopy and Optical Microscope. At lower loading levels, uniformity in the distribution of particulates can be seen in the microphotographs of SEM images. The physical properties of the resulting material are increased by adding particulates up to 12 wt% due to the excellent interaction between matrix and fillers. Further, the properties are found to be reduced due to the formation of agglomerates and weaken the composite. This is obviously seen in the SEM and optical microscopic images. X-ray diffraction method is also employed to analyze the distribution of particulates in the matrix. The result of XRD supports the results of morphology studies. The composite with 40 and#956;m showed better property profile among the series of samples prepared. Effect of heat treatment on the stability is also studied and it is found that, heat treatment.