PREPARATION OF ALUMINIUM CALCIUM OXIDE COMPOSITE MATERIAL USING STIR CASTING METHOD AND TESTING OF ITS MECHANICAL PROPERTIES

In today's manufacturing world, composite materials are used in various fields such as automobile, aeronautical and defense industries due to lower density, lower thermal expansion, high strength to weight ratio, good mechanical properties and wear resistance. In this article, aluminium 6061 alloy with calcium oxide reinforced material is mixed. The stir casting technique was followed to mix the reinforced material. The various percentages 2%, 4%, 6% of calcium oxide were mixed with alloy material. The calculated amount of aluminium was heated around 950 degrees C in a graphite crucible and calcium oxide was preheated up to 220 degrees C. The reinforcement material was mixed with alloy and stirred every 15 minutes. The mixed material was poured into casting mould with length of 120 cm and width of 20 cm. The final aluminium calcium oxide composite was prepared for required dimension and tested for various mechanical properties. The Rockwell and Brinell hardness tests were made. The tensile test was also made. The microstructure of the specimen was tested by scanning electron microscope. The hardness and tensile values were high for composite material compared to mono-aluminium alloy. The yield stress, ultimate tensile stress, Young's modulus, impact strength and toughness were increased for calcium oxide mixture. The wear rate was also reduced for calcium oxide mixture. The microstructure of the composites indicates uniform distribution in higher percentage addition of calcium oxide.