An investigation on the mechanical and corrosion characteristics of magnesium-zinc alloy nanocomposites manufactured via ultrasound-assisted stir squeeze casting

Magnesium alloy (Mg-Zn) was strengthened by including silicon carbide nanoparticles at different weight rates (0, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 wt%). The fabrication process involved the help of ultrasonication-assisted stir squeeze casting method. We studied the mechanical, microstructural, and corrosion quality of nanocomposites in relation to variations in SiC particle weight percentage and grain size. A comparison was made between the experimental results and the basic alloy. The findings show that nanocomposites' mechanical characteristics improve as the SiC particle concentration rises and falls as the particle size increases. In accordance with the ASTM standard, immersion and potentiodynamic polarization tests were conducted to validate that the nanocomposites' resistance to corrosion increased as the reinforcement weight percentage was increased. The optical microscope was used to observe the grain size. Nanoparticles are evenly distributed throughout the Mg matrix, as shown in scanning electron micrographs. XRD confirms that the nanocomposites include SiC. The nanocomposite reinforced with 1.5 wt% SiCP had 44% higher microhardness and 38% higher tensile strength than the base alloy.