Investigation on Mechanical and Morphological Behaviours of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu/(SiC + Al2O3) Hybrid Composites Produced by Squeeze Casting

The present work deals with the preparation and evaluation of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu metal matrix composites reinforced with SiC and Al2O3 by squeeze casting technology. The mechanical properties of prepared composites were evaluated based on the various compositions of SiC and alumina (2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, and 10%). The composite samples are evaluated for their hardness, compression, impact, and tensile behaviour. The mechanical properties of prepared hybrid composites are compared with those of monolithic 7075 aluminium. It is observed that the Al-80 wt% + 10 wt% SiC + 10 wt% Al2O3 composite enabled the tensile strength of 258 MPa, compression strength of 1019 MPa, and the hardness of 158 BHN, which is more than monolithic Al-7075 cast. The composite samples are checked for their uniformity and constituents by EDS, SEM, and XRD. The studies revealed good interfacial bonding between matrix and reinforcements, low porosity, high strength, and load-carrying capacity since the composites are prepared by the squeeze casting technique.