Study on ZL205A Matrix Composites Reinforced with in-situ TiB2 particles

As various faculties and governments issued critical statements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, effectively reducing carbon emissions from vehicles can have large ecological and economic benefits. The use of aluminium alloys in the design and manufacture of automobiles can effectively reduce the weight of automobiles and thus reduce carbon emissions. Aluminium composites have better mechanical properties than traditional aluminium alloys and can be used in more environments. In this paper, it is found that the addition of TiB2 particles in the casting process of ZL205A aluminium alloy can effectively refine the grain size, which refined from the traditional ZL205A aluminium alloy of 195um, to 162um (0.1wt.% TiB2), 148um (0.5wt.% TiB2), 134um (1wt.% TiB2), 122um (2wt.% TiB2), 120um (3wt.% TiB2). The fabricated ZL205A/ TiB2 composites have better mechanical properties. Especially when TiB2 reaches 2wt.%, Ultimate tensile strength (UTS), Yield Strength (YS), Elongation (EL) and wear resistance reach the maximum value. However, when TiB2 further reaches 3 wt.%, the mechanical properties show a decline compared to the 2 wt.% TiB2 specimens. This may be due to the occurrence of agglomeration of excess TiB2. In future studies, more advanced analytical methods and equipment would be used to further analyse the strengthening mechanism of TiB2 on ZL205A.