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Development and Characterization of Aluminium-Based Metal Matrix Composite

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14 views19 pages

Development and Characterization of Aluminium-Based Metal Matrix Composite

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faizan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Materials Sciences and Applications, 2023, 14, 1-19

https://www.scirp.org/journal/msa
ISSN Online: 2153-1188
ISSN Print: 2153-117X

Development and Characterization of


Aluminium-Based Metal Matrix Composites

M. A. Gafur1, Al Fahad Ahmed2, Raisul Abrar2, Surya Sabrin Soshi3


1
Pilot Plant & Process Development Centre, Bangladesh Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (BCSIR), Dhaka, Bangladesh
2
Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, Military Institute of Science and Technology, Dhaka, Bangladesh
3
Department of MPE, AUST, Dhaka, Bangladesh

How to cite this paper: Gafur, M.A., Abstract


Ahmed, A.F., Abrar, R. and Soshi, S.S.
(2023) Development and Characterization Aluminum based metal matrix composites were fabricated using stir casting
of Aluminium-Based Metal Matrix Com-
where silicon carbide and alumina were the reinforcements. Different types of
posites. Materials Sciences and Applica-
tions, 14, 1-19. properties (physical-density, mechanical-tensile, hardness, chemical-corrosion
https://doi.org/10.4236/msa.2023.141001 etc.) were measured and compared with base metals/alloys. The properties
were significantly varied. The highest density was obtained for pure alumi-
Received: October 2, 2022
Accepted: January 26, 2023
nium with 5% Al2O3 whereas the lowest was obtained for AA-4032 alloy. The
Published: January 29, 2023 highest hardness was obtained for AA-4032 with 5% Al2O3 whereas the lowest
was obtained for pure Al with 5% Al2O3. The highest strength was obtained for
Copyright © 2023 by author(s) and
AA-6061 with 5% coarse SiC whereas the lowest was obtained for pure Al.
Scientific Research Publishing Inc.
This work is licensed under the Creative The highest impact strength was obtained for AA-4032 with 5% Al2O3 whe-
Commons Attribution International reas the lowest was obtained for AA-6061. The corrosion resistance of all
License (CC BY 4.0). composites was lower than that of the base materials.
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Open Access
Keywords
Al, AA-6061, AA-4032, SiC, Al2O3, Stir-Casting, Metal Matrix Composite,
MMC, Nanocomposites

1. Introduction
A new material known as a composite is created by mixing two or more different
suggested materials, such as metal, ceramic, or plastic, to provide qualities that
are superior to those of the parent materials alone. Composites are now regarded
as one of the most important tribes of engineered materials in the modern era.
Due to their exceptional specific strength, stiffness, and high thermal and elec-
trical conductivities, these composites have also drawn attention. In addition to

DOI: 10.4236/msa.2023.141001 Jan. 29, 2023 1 Materials Sciences and Applications


M. A. Gafur et al.

its usage for structural purposes, composites are also used in electrical, thermal,
tribological, and environmental applications. Because of their superior machin-
ing, joining, and processability, Al-based metal matrices are referred to as adapta-
ble materials that may be employed for a wide range of engineering applications.
Al alloys are better material for engineering applications due to their inexpensive
cost, enhanced strength-to-weight ratio, high elastic modulus and other ecologi-
cally favorable features. The reinforcement consists of the discontinuous mem-
bers silicon carbide (SiC) and aluminium oxide (Al2O3) used to strengthen the
aluminum metal, while the continuous phase (aluminum or aluminum alloy) in
molten form during casting is known as the matrix, which becomes solid after
solidification. In this study, SiC and Al2O3 was used because of their diverse
properties and availability. SiC is a commonly used and economical choice for
reinforcement. SiC is hard, brittle but it can enhance ductility, density and hard-
ness. SiC reinforced MMC is very cost effective and easy to cast. Like SiC, Al2O3
was chosen because of its versatile properties. Al2O3 is a hard ceramic particle
that has high thermal conductivity and can supplement the mechanical and tri-
bological properties. Alumina can also be helpful for weathering as metal alumi-
nium can be reactive with the atmospheric oxygen. Depending on the need and
application, many researchers created a variety of composite materials employ-
ing various matrices, reinforcement sizes, shapes, and volumes, as well as ac-
ceptable processing methods. According to Balasivanandha Prabu et al., by ad-
justing the stirring speed and duration, it was possible to improve the perfor-
mance of the aluminum-Si-based composite by adding 10% silicon carbide [1].
Various effects on microstructure and other properties change with varying stir-
ring speed and time. According to B. Roebuck et al.’s research, silicon carbide
(SiCp)-reinforced aluminum metal matrix composites (MMC) outperform
comparable non-reinforced matrix alloy systems in terms of yield strength,
thermal expansion coefficient, elastic modulus, and wear resistance by up to 20%
[2]. When the stirring speed and duration are changed, different impacts on the
microstructure and other properties also change. According to Amit Raturi et
al., yield strength constantly increases with an increase in Al2O3 particle concen-
tration up to 1 weight percent, but when more particles are added—1.5 weight
percent, yield strength decreases [3]. The ultimate tensile strength and yield
strength of the composite increased by 37% and 81%, respectively, relative to the
alloy matrix at the optimal concentration of nano-Al2O3 particulates (1 wt%).
A359/Al2O3 composite was created by Abhishek Kumar et al. using the electro-
magnetic stir casting method [4]. The author noticed that compared to pure al-
loy, the hardness values increased to 72.8 HRC (46HRC). In addition, compared
to pure alloy (103.7 N/mm2), the composite’s tensile strength increased to 148.7
N/mm2. The size of the Al2O3 particle affects wear behavior. Wear resistance also
increases as particle size increases. According to the literature, there has been
comparatively less research on the electrical and thermal properties of SiC and
Al2O3 reinforced Al-MMC, but much more on the microstructure and mechani-

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M. A. Gafur et al.

cal properties (hardness, tensile qualities, friction). Therefore, using silica and
alumina as reinforcement, we experimentally examined the composite’s electric-
al, thermal, and mechanical properties. Another fabrication technique, such as
squeeze casting, powder casting, spray casting, etc., can be used to carry out the
same experiment, and the results can then be compared to those of the stir cast-
ing technique. By using different reinforcement grains of the same particle, as in
this experiment, the research can be furthered. A number of properties like ther-
mal expansion coefficient, corrosion resistance etc. of the SiC/Al2O3 reinforced
Al/Al alloys MMC are not well studied. This study focused on the different
properties of SiC/Al2O3 reinforced Al/Al alloys MMC.

2. Experimental Procedure
2.1. Materials
All the raw materials (Pure Al, AA-6061, AA-4032, SiC) were collected from lo-
cal market (chemical composition shown in Tables 1(a)-(c)). Table 2 shows the
size distribution of the course and fine SiC particles. Table 3 shows composition
of 7 samples of MMC.

Table 1. (a) The chemical composition of pure Aluminium; (b) The chemical composi-
tion of AA-6061; (c) The chemical composition of AA-4032.

(a)

% Fe Si Al

0.13 0.55 99.22

(b)

% Ti % Mn % Cu % Fe % Zn Mg Si Al

0.02 0.02 0.35 0.6 0.7 0.75 0.85 96.71

(c)

% Cr % Zn % Ti % Cu % Mn % Mg % Fe % Si Al

0.02 0.02 0.02 0.05 0.06 0.23 0.28 13.25 86.07

Table 2. The Size of course and fine SiC.

Course Fine

Size Amount (%) Size Amount (%)

2 - 1 mm 96.530 - -

1 - 0.50 mm 3.190 1 - 0.50 mm 0.182%

0.5 - 0.25 mm 0.189 0.50 - 0.25 mm 99.259%

0.25 - 0.125 mm 0.043 0.25 - 0.125 mm 0.559%

0.125 - 0.063 mm 0.043 0.125 - 0.63 mm -

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M. A. Gafur et al.

Table 3. Different types of sample.

Sample 1 AA-6061 + 5% Coarse SiC Sample 5 Pure Al

Sample 2 AA-6061 + 5% Finer SiC Sample 6 AA-6061

Sample 3 Pure Al + 5% Al2O3 Sample 7 AA-4032

Sample 4 AA-4032 + 5% Al2O3

2.2. Fabrication
A crucible furnace (VBF-1200×, MTI corporation, USA) to melt the metal/alloys
used as matrix of the MMC. 40 min requires to raise the temperature 750˚C and
then it was kept at 750˚C for 30 min. A local made stir casting set was used for
making MMC (as shown in Figure 1). A motor was utilized to regulate the stir-
rer’s rotation. In order to control the motor’s rpm, we connected a dimmer to it.
The controlled voltage range for the dimmer was from 0 to 250 Volts. The mo-
tor’s RPM range was 250. A steel frame that served as a hanger for the motor was
placed in the center of the furnace.

2.3. Testing
Density is measured with the help of Archimedes’ principle using electronic
balance (AS 220/C/2, RADWAG, Polland).
To determine the hardness of the material a micro-hardness tester (HMV-2T,
Shimadzu Corporation, Japan) was used in this work. Samples with a 10 × 5 × 5
mm dimension were used for the hardness test. The specimens were polished
using different grades of emery (400 to 1800). The samples were tested after be-
ing polished. The indentation was place for 10 seconds with 500 g of load. Five
indentions were measured and the average was ultimately chosen.
The materials were cut into precise measurements for tensile testing after
creating the appropriate samples. A computer operated UTM (H10KS, Houns-
field, UK) was used for tensile properties measurement. 5 samples were used for
each set of sample. The arms moved at a 2 mm/second speed.
The impact test of the manufactured materials was measured using impact
tester (QPI-IC-21J, Qualitest, USA). The experiment’s specimens were 40 × 10 ×
10 mm in size with V-shaped notch at the center with 2 mm depth and 45˚
notch angle. 3 samples were used for each set of sample test.

3. Result and Discussion


3.1. Physical Properties
Physical properties are those properties that can be measured without changing
the composition of the material. In our present work, we only measure density
as the physical properties of the material.

3.1.1. Density Measurement


Results of calculated density are illustrated in Figure 2.

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M. A. Gafur et al.

Figure 1. Stir casting setup.

(a) (b)

(c) (d)

Figure 2. (a) Effect of 5% course SiC addition with AA 6061 alloy on density; (b) Effect of
5% fine SiC addition with AA 6061 alloy on density; (c) Effect of 5% Al2O3 addition with
Pure Al on Density; (d) Effect of 5% Al2O3 addition with AA 4032 alloy on density.

Figure 2(a) shows the effect of course SiC addition on the density of AA-6061
it shows that the density increases with the addition of SiC. It is because of dens-
er particle (3.21 gm/cc) addition with lighter materials AA-6061 (2.70 gm/cc).
According to mixer rule, the density of the MMC is 2.7255 which is very similar
to obtained density of the MMC (2.703 gm/cc). The slight variation might be
associated with voids. Figures 3(b)-(d) show the effect particulate additions (5%
fine SIC, 5% Al2O3, and 5% Al2O3) on different matrix (AA-6061, pure Al and
AA-4032). Both the reinforcements are denser than the pure Al/Al alloy. From
the above bar charts, the density of the matrix is raised when a greater density
reinforcement is used with a lower density matrix material. According to

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M. A. Gafur et al.

(a) (b)

(c) (d)

Figure 3. (a) Effect of 5% coarse SiC addition with AA-6061 alloy on Hardness; (b) Effect
of 5% fine SiC addition with AA-6061 alloy on Hardness; (c) Effect of 5% Al2O3 addition
with Pure Al on Hardness; (d) Effect of 5% Al2O3 addition with AA-4032 alloy on Hard-
ness.

Ozben T, Kilickap Erol et al. the average density of aluminium alloy is 2.6 and
after adding reinforcement, the density increases [5]. The density of SiC and
alumina are 3.21 and 3.95 gm/cc.
Very similar results were obtained by Balasubramanya et al. (2019).

3.2. Mechanical Properties


Different mechanical properties of the composites are discussed below:

3.2.1. Hardness Test


Figure 3(a) and Figure 3(b) show the effect SiC addition on AA-6061. It shows
that with 5% course SiC addition enhances the hardness at 63.25%. For 5% fine
SiC enhances the hardness 83.5% (Figure 1(b)). Finer particle increases hard-
ness more because of more surface area to resist the slip. Figure 4(c) and Figure
4(d) show effect of 5% Alumina addition on pure Al and AA-4.32 alloy. The in-
crease in hardness is 15.98%, and 61.03%, respectively. The base materials be-
have differently. AA-4032 yield more hardness than that of pure aluminium.
The material’s resistance to plastic deformation was boosted via particle rein-
forcement, which also increased the material’s hardness. From the results above,
it can be inferred that adding reinforcement to the matrix material resulted in
the manufactured material’s hardness being higher than the base material. The

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M. A. Gafur et al.

(a) (b)

(c) (d)

Figure 4. (a) Effect of 5% Coarse SiC Addition with AA 6061 alloy on Tensile Strength;
(b) Effect of 5% fine SiC Addition with AA 6061 alloy on Tensile Strength; (c) Effect of
5% Al2O3 Addition with Pure Al on Tensile Strength; (d) Effect of 5% Al2O3 Addition
with AA 4032 alloy on Tensile Strength.

test findings demonstrate that the composite’s hardness increases when hard
particles are present inside the matrix. Balasubramanya HS obtained HV20.5 to
30 with the increase of SiC upto 20% SiC in pure Al.

3.2.2. Tensile Test


Figure 4(a) and Figure 4(b) show the effect SiC addition on UTS of AA-6061. It
shows that with 5% course SiC addition enhances the UTS at 41.85%. For 5%
fine SiC enhances the hardness 41.07% (Figure 4(b)). Figure 4(c) and Figure
4(d) show effect of 5% Alumina addition on pure Al and AA-4.32 alloy. The in-
crease in hardness is 5.02%, and 72.42%, respectively. The base materials behave
differently. AA-4032 yield more strength than that of pure aluminium.
From literature evaluations, numerous instances of a similar outcome were
seen. According to Mohamed et al. MMC made of AA-6061 and 5% SiC has an
approximate 70 MPa tensile strength and a 55% elongation [6]. Chiga et al.
found that AA-6061 with 5% SiC had an elongation of 17.5% and a tensile
strength of 52.08 MPa [7].
Figure 5 shows that the elongation of Al and Al alloys with the addition 5%
particulate materials. It shows that the % of elongation increases for all except
for AA-4032. From Figure 5(c), the pure Al + 5% Al2O3 sample shows more
ductile than any other alloys (Figures 5(a)-(c)). According to the third sample’s

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M. A. Gafur et al.

(a) (b)

(c) (d)

Figure 5. (a) Effect of 5% Coarse SiC Addition with AA-6061 alloy on Elongation; (b) Ef-
fect of 5% fine SiC addition with AA-6061 alloy on Elongation; (c) Effect of 5% Al2O3
Addition with Pure Al on Elongation; (d) Effect of 5% Al2O3 Addition with AA-4032 alloy
on Elongation.

elongation %, it has ductile properties as found in Figure 5(c). The AA-4032 +


5% Al2O3 composite, on the other hand, has very little elongation and is hence a
brittle material.
Based on extensive literature reviews, instances of similar outcomes were seen.
According to Mohamed et al., MMC of AA-6061 and 5% SiC had an elongation
of 55% [6]. Additionally, Chiga et al. found that AA-6061 with 5% SiC had an
elongation of 17.5% [7].

3.2.3. Impact Test


Results of Izod impact test measurements are illustrated in below.
Figure 6 shows the impact energy of Al and Al alloys with the addition 5%
particulate materials From the preceding figure, it can be inferred that the AA-4032
+ 5% Al2O3 sample fractures at a maximum energy of 24.08 J. The all-fabricated
composites’ impact energy is raised in this instance. Figure 6(a) and Figure 6(b)
show that sample 1 and 2 have the most increased impact energy than its base
materials.
Ozden et al. noticed the attributes of AA-6063 reinforced with approximately
5% SiC (511 m2) heat treated at 515˚C and liquid cooled for 2 hours had an im-
pact strength of 13.08 J. This was used as a comparison. Compared to the publi-
cation, these results were more favorable [8].
Electrical Properties:

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M. A. Gafur et al.

(a) (b)

(c) (d)

Figure 6. (a) Effect of 5% Coarse SiC Addition with AA-6061 alloy on Impact Energy; (b) Effect of 5% fine SiC addition
with AA-6061 alloy on Elongation; (c) Effect of 5% Al2O3 Addition with Pure Al on Elongation; (d) Effect of 5% Al2O3
Addition with AA-4032 alloy on Tensile Strength.

Electrical Conductivity (% IACS):


Figure 7 shows the effect of particulate addition on the electrical conductivity
of MMC. It depicts that electrical conductivity increases with addition of par-
ticles. Cui X et al. concluded in their study that Al-0.5Mg-0.35Si and Al-0.5Fe-
0.2Si can reach electric conductivity of 52.4% and 51.8% IACS [9]. Zhukov I et
al. iterated in their paper that aluminum alloy with reinforced Al2O3 can reach
electric conductivity of 36.03% ± 1.38% IACS [10]. Tokutomi J et al. stated in
their paper that pure al has electric conductivity of 63.2% IACS [11]. From the
few papers stated above, it is evident that the results of this study are similar.
Thermal Properties:
Thermal Expansion Co-efficient (TEC):
Figures 8(a)-(d) show the effect on particulate materials addition on TEC of
Al/Alloy MMC. It shows TEC increases with the increase of particulate addi-
tions. But the increases in TEC are 9.69, 10.37, 1.52 and 17.87 × 10−6/˚C for the
alloys. Hashihuchi D. et al. published in their study that Al-6061, Al-2124A (17%
SiC), Al-6061B (40% SiC) has a TEC of 23.17 × 10−6/˚C and 13.4 × 10−6/˚C re-
spectively [12]. Huber T et al. have expressed in their study that A359 alloy with

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M. A. Gafur et al.

(a) (b)

(c) (d)

Figure 7. (a) Effect of 5% Coarse SiC Addition with AA-6061 alloy on Electrical Conductivity (% IACS); (b)
Effect of 5% fine SiC addition with AA-6061 alloy on Conductivity (% IACS); (c) Effect of 5% Al2O3 Addition
with Pure Al on Conductivity (% IACS); (d) Effect of 5% Al2O3 Addition with AA-4032 alloy on Conductivity
(% IACS).

10% SiC reinforcement can reach co-efficient of thermal expansion of approx-


imately 25 × 10−6/˚C [13]. The aforementioned papers confirm the results of this
study.
TGDTA
Figure 9 shows the DTA of pure Al, AA 6061, and AA-4032. These are ob-
tained at 20˚/min heating rate. The following Table 4 shows different thermal
data of the three materials, it shows that with the increase of alloying element
particularly Si, the melting point peak temperature decreases, but heat of fusion
increase. The melting point of Aluminium is slightly less than that of pure Alu-
minium, because it is commercially pure containing 0.55% Si and 0.13% Fe. The
melting points/solidus temperatures are 658.7˚C, 642.6˚C and 582.0˚C.
For AA6061, containing 0.85% Si, from phase diagram (Al-Si) it is found that
at room temperature it is a single-phase solid solution having 1.65% Si maxi-
mum solubility at 577˚C eutectic temperature. But Al-0.85% Si alloy crosses two
lines (solidus and liquidus), consequently two temperatures 642.6˚C and 672.3˚C
are obtained as solidus and liquidus temperatures. There is existed one 2nd phase
melted at 686.3˚C.

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M. A. Gafur et al.

(a) (b)

(c) (d)

Figure 8. (a) Effect of 5% coarse SiC on TEC (/˚C, ×106) of AA-6061; (b) Effect of 5% fine SiC on TEC (/˚C, ×106)
of AA-6061; (c) Effect of 5% Al2O3 on TEC (/˚C, ×106) of Pure Al; (d) Effect of 5% Al2O3 on TEC (/˚C, ×106) of
AA-4032.

Table 4. Thermal data of three base metal/alloys from differential thermal analysis.

Melting Peak Heat of Presence of


Point temperature fusion 2nd Phase
Commercially Pure 658.7 682.7 126 -
AA 6061 642.6 664.7 136 One after at 686.3
AA 4032 582.0 591.8 175 One after, at 647.0

For AA4032, containing 13.6% Si, it is a near eutectic alloy. The melting point
is 582.0˚C which very near to equilibrium eutectic temperature 577˚C. It is
slightly higher because higher heating rate. There is existence of another phase
melt at 647.0˚C.
Figure 10(a) shows the comparative DTA curve of commercially pure Al, AA
6061 and AA4032. The most right on is for commercially pure Al and most left
on is for AA-4032. AA6061 is in between the two curves. Figure 10(b) shows the
comparative DTA curve of AA6061, AA 6061 with 5% course SiC and AA 6061
with 5% fine SiC. It reveals that SiC addition increase the thermal stability. The
peak temperatures are 664.1˚C, 669.0˚C and 667.6˚C. Figure 10(c) show the
comparative DTA curve of pure Al and pure Al with 5% Al2O3. It reveals that
Al2O3 addition increase the thermal stability. The peak temperatures are 677.4˚C

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(a)

(b)

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M. A. Gafur et al.

(c)

Figure 9. (a) Pure Aluminium; (b) AA6061; (c) AA4032.

and 682.7˚C. Figure 10(d) shows the comparative DTA curve of AA4032 nd AA
4032 with 5% Al2O3. It reveals that Al2O3 addition increase the thermal stability.
The peak temperatures are 591.9 and 598.6˚C.

3.3. Chemical Properties


3.3.1. Corrosion Test
4% NaCl solution was used for creating environmental conditions. Gamry Ref-
erence 3000 Potentiostat/Galvanostat/ZRA machine have been used to perform
the corrosion test. Through this test, we investigate Icorr and corrosion rate. Fig-
ure 11 and Figure 12 show the findings for the corrosion test that all of the
samples Icorr values and corrosion rates have risen with the incorporation of
reinforcement compared to the base metal and alloy. This is because the alloy
matrix’s reinforcement content condenses the cathodic zones to a small number
of impurities, porosities, and reinforcements. The favored sites for dissolving
and pitting are also thought to be the residual stresses in the matrix that result
from the disparity in thermal and mechanical characteristics between the matrix
and reinforcement [14]. Additionally, the areas where pits first form are more
likely to experience galvanic corrosion at the junction of hard ceramic particles
and soft matrix alloy [15]. Figure 11 and Figure 12 depict that Icorr and corro-
sion rate have been increased more for the reinforced particles with finer size,

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(a)

(b)

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(c)

(d)

Figure 10. (a) DTA of Pure Al, AA6063, and AA4032; (b) Effect of 5% SiC Addition with
AA6061 on DTA signal; (c) Effect of 5% fine Al2O3 Addition with Pure Al on DTA signal;
(d) Effect of 5% Al2O3 Addition with AA4032 on DTA signal.

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M. A. Gafur et al.

(a) (b)

(c) (d)

Figure 11. (a) Effect of 5% Coarse SiC Addition with AA-6061 alloy on Icor; (b) Effect of 5% fine SiC addition with
AA-6061 alloy on Icor; (c) Effect of 5% Al2O3 Addition with Pure Al on Icor; (d) Effect of 5% Al2O3 Addition with
AA-4032 alloy on Icor.

indicating more susceptibility to pitting corrosion. These findings concur with


those of other studies [16]. This is because composite materials have a high sur-
face area content of reinforcements, which speeds up the growth of pits into the
metal.

3.3.2. Microstructure
The microstructure of the samples was under an optical microscope. SiC par-
ticles with a deep golden color and wedge shapes were seen in and around the
interdendrite regions, leading to an increased aspect ratio. It is obvious that the
coarser SiC particle distribution is less even than that of the finer SiC particle.
There’s some dendritic growth seen on the AA-6061 + 5% coarse SiC. A little
cracking can be seen on the AA-6061 + 5% finer SiC sample. The matrix of the
composite with alumina particles showed even dispersion without any disconti-
nuities. The grain disparity between the pure aluminium and aluminium alloy is
clearly seen in Figure 3 and Figure 4. The discontinuity and issues in the sam-
ples can be seen because of the inconsistency in stirring, low wettability, pres-
ence of air trapped on the furnace etc. (Figure 13).

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M. A. Gafur et al.

(a) (b)

(c) (d)

Figure 12. (a) Effect of 5% Coarse SiC Addition with AA-6061 alloy on Corrosion rate; (b) Effect of 5% fine SiC
addition with AA-6061 alloy on Corrosion rate; (c) Effect of 5% Al2O3 Addition with Pure Al on Corrosion rate;
(d) Effect of 5% Al2O3 Addition with AA-4032 alloy on Corrosion rate.

(a) (b)

(c) (d)

Figure 13. (a) AA-6061 + 5% Coarse SiC; (b) AA-6061 + 5% Finer SiC; (c) Pure Al + 5%
Al2O3; (d) AA-4032 + 5% Al2O3.

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M. A. Gafur et al.

4. Conclusions
The following conclusions can be taken from the development and experimental
analysis:
 The stir casting method has been successfully used to fabricate the metal ma-
trix composite with an aluminum basis.
 A few variables can influence the manufacture of the MMC to produce better
outcomes. The parameters include the casting process, the stirrer design, the
size of the stirrer, the rpm and time of the stirring, the temperature of the
preheating process, the uniform distribution of the particles, etc. In this ex-
ample, changing parameters may result in various outcomes.
 Every sample created in this experiment displayed improved qualities, except
for the third sample (pure aluminum + 5% Al2O3). The third sample, Pure
Aluminium + 5% Al2O3, had a poor outcome in the hardness test since the
sample’s hardness reduced. The aforementioned variables may be able to ex-
plain why the third sample’s hardness was reduced.
 During the corrosion test, it is found that the samples’ corrosion rate and
Icorr were higher than those of the basic matrix materials. The materials will
erode more quickly than the underlying materials as the corrosion rate and
Icorr rise. This experiment’s bad outcome is that the samples’ corrosion rate
and Icorr have increased.

Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this pa-
per.

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