Study of mechanical properties and wear behavior of hybrid Al/(Al2O3+SiC) nanocomposites fabricated by powder technology

In recent years, aluminum-based hybrid nanocomposites have been attractive for industries such as automotive and aerospace due to the remarkable properties. In the present study, aluminium matrix composites reinforced with different amounts of SiC and Al2O3 nanoparticles (5, 7.5, 10 wt%), as reinforcements, were fabricated using powder metallurgy technique. Firstly, the nanocomposite powders were mechanically milled followed by hot pressing method. Then, the specimens were characterized by X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectrum (EDS), hardness, tensile strength and wear testing. The uniform distribution of SiC and Al2O3 nanoparticles in aluminium matrix was confirmed by microstructural analysis. The results showed that the hardness and wear resistance of nanocomposite samples were increased by increasing of SiC content to 10 wt%. The dominant wear mechanism was found to be the abrasive wear which accompanied with oxidation wear for nanocomposite samples. Additionally, the tensile strength test results showed that the hybrid composite sample containing 7.5 wt% nano SiC showed the highest tensile strength (83 MPa) compared to other hybrid composites.