Influence of B4C on enhancing mechanical properties of AA2014 aluminum matrix composites

Aluminum is a material with advantageous properties such as lightness, good conductivity, high plastic deformation ability, and superior corrosion resistance. However, aluminum and many aluminum alloys have disadvantages in terms of mechanical properties such as hardness, tensile strength, and wear resistance. To overcome this disadvantage of aluminum, it is a good method to add ceramic particles to the matrix. For this purpose, in this study, B4C (boron carbide)-reinforced AA2014 aluminum matrix composites were fabricated at 3%, 5%, and 7% reinforcement ratios using the stir casting method. Tensile tests, wear tests, cutting force measurements, and microhardness measurements were performed to determine the fabricated composite materials' mechanical properties. Scanning electron microscopy and optical microscopy were used to analyze the microstructure of composite. X-ray diffraction analysis was utilized to study the phase identification. As a result of the study, it was observed that with the increase in the B4C reinforcement ratio, the mechanical properties of the aluminum matrix composite material, such as wear resistance, cutting strength, and hardness, increased. On the other hand, the change in tensile strength did not occur in this way. Tensile strength first increased and then decreased. The highest value of tensile strength was achieved at 5% B4C reinforcement. X-ray diffraction results showed that AA2014 and B4C were the fundamental elements in composites and are free from intermetallics.