Hardness and impact behaviour of aluminium metal matrix composite

This research paper deals with the fabrication procedure and the testing process of metal matrix composite material comprising of Aluminium and Silicon Carbide in addition with Carbon Nanotubes. Aluminium composites are preferred in manufacturing of various industrial machine components and automobile parts due to their favourable properties like low density which thereby results in their light weight, high strength and superior malleability comparatively to iron carbon alloys like steel and cast iron. When Silicon Carbide is added it helps in furthering the thermal conductivity and melting point properties of Aluminium in addition to improving its hardness. The addition of Carbon Nanotubes potentially helps in further improving the tensile strength of the metal matrix composite. In this study four samples of different compositions of Silicon Carbide are prepared and studied. The fabrication process is done by Stir casting carries out by adding the required additives into the molten mixture of aluminium followed by continuous stirring. After solidification for a period of time the samples are cut according to standard dimensions for carrying out the testing procedures. The various test procedures like hardness and impact tests were conducted to study the mechanical properties of obtained metal matrix composite. The various results inferred from the tests are analysed and subjected to comparison with each other in this study.