Effect of Reinforcement and Copper Chill on LM13/ZrSiO4/C Hybrid Metal Matrix Composites(HMMCS)——An Experimental and Statistical Analysis

Composites place a vital role in the applications of material science, i.e. aerospace, automobile, marine, etc. Dual reinforcement composites are a trending research area in the field of metal matrix composites. In this research article dual reinforcement, i.e. zirconium silicate(ZrSiO) and carbon, is added to molten LM13 using the stir casting process in terms of(as cast),(3+3) mass%,(6+3) mass%,(9+3) mass% and(12+3) mass% respectively, using copper as a chill kept toward one end. The tensile, the hardness, and the microstructure of the composite specimens at the chill end and non chill end are studied. Experimental results are compared with analytical results and tabulated. It is found an increase in reinforcement and chilling effect enhances the properties of the composite. The ultimate tensile strength(UTS) and the hardness increase gradually with the increase in ZrSiOaddition. The maximum UTS, the hardness and the signal to noise ratio(S/N ratio) for mechanical characterizations are evaluated using Taguchi method. It is found that 9 mass% of ZrSiOyields better results than the other combinations. Results are tabulated and compared using statistical tools. Microscopic studies reveal the uniform distribution of matrix and reinforcements with negligible agglomeration.