OBTENTION OF AN AL-BASED COMPOSITE MATERIAL BY DIRECT FUSION OF USED BEVERAGE CANS

In the present study, the fabrication of an Al-based metal matrix composite material obtained directly from the melting of the aluminium used beverage cans in a modified rheocasting process is presented. The analysed operational condition is the shear rate applied to the bath and its influence on the properties of the obtained samples. Additionally, samples were heat treated at two different times. The characterization of the phases obtained in Al-based MMC was made by means of metallography, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy and electron microprobe with wavelength dispersion spectroscopy. The results show that some constituents were formed during the fabrication process of the MMC, mainly Al-6(Fe, Mn), which are partially transformed during the heat treatment. Additionally, samples were evaluated using dynamic mechanical analysis, and the results suggest that the obtained MMC could have very good mechanical properties, similar or superior to the aluminium alloys commonly used for structural applications such as 6XXX family.