Experimental Investigation on Mechanical Properties of an Al6061 Hybrid Metal Matrix Composite

The demand for aluminum hybrid metal matrix composites has increased in recent times due to their enhanced mechanical properties for satisfying the requirements of advanced engineering applications. The performance of these materials is greatly influenced by the selection of an appropriate combination of reinforcement materials. The reinforcement materials include carbides, nitrides, and oxides. The ceramic particles, such as silicon carbide and aluminum oxide, are the most widely used reinforcement materials for preparing these composites. In this paper, an attempt has been made to prepare an Al6061 hybrid metal matrix composite (HAMMC) reinforced with particulates with different weight fractions of SiC and Al2O3 and a constant weight fraction (5%) of fly ash by a stir-casting process. The experimental study has been carried out on the prepared composite to investigate the mechanical properties due to the addition of multiple reinforcement materials. The density and mechanical properties, such as ultimate tensile strength, yield strength, impact strength, and the hardness and wear characteristics of the proposed composite, are compared with those of unreinforced Al6061. The experimental investigation is also aimed at observing the variation of properties with a varying weight percentage of the reinforcement materials SiC and Al2O3 simultaneously with the fly ash content maintained constant. The outcome of the experimental investigation revealed that the proposed hybrid composite with 20% of total reinforcement material exhibits high hardness, high yield strength, and low wear rate but no considerable improvement in impact strength.