Mechanical properties of cast aluminium alloy 6061-albite particulate composites

This paper aims to study the effects of albite reinforcement on the mechanical properties of cast aluminium alloy 6061 composites containing albite particles of content ranging from 0 to 4 per cent by weight in steps of 1 per cent. The composites were fabricated using the 'compo-casting' method in which the short albite particulates were introduced into the vortex created in the molten alloy through an impeller rotated at 500 r/min. The results of this study revealed that, as the albite particle content was increased, there were significant increases in the ultimate tensile strength, hardness and Young's modulus, accompanied by a reduction in its ductility. There was, however, only a very marginal increase in the compressive strength. An attempt is made in the paper to provide explanations for these phenomena.