Microstructure and properties of 6061Al/Al2O3 metal matrix composite materials
MAO Jian-hui1,2, ZHANG Yu-xian1, WEI Xiao-hua1, LIU Wen-jun1
1. School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Quzhou College of Technology, Quzhou 324000, Zhejiang, China; 2. College of Mechanical Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300131, China
Abstract：An attempt was made to synthesize metal matrix composites by 6061Al as a matrix material reinforced with ceramic Al2O3 particles through liquid metallurgical method, and to prepare metal matrix composites reinforced using Al2O3 particles by an extrusion method. The 6061 aluminum was chosen as the material of interest, in which the mass fraction of Al2O3 was 15%, 10% and 15% to be added, to improve the mechanical properties of the composites. The composites were analyzed using the scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the result showed that the distribution of Al2O3 particles in the 6061Al metal matrix was quite uniform. X-ray diffraction results showed that there were only 6061Al and Al2O3 in the composites, which would not affect crystallinity and structure of 6061Al. The experimental results showed that the hardness and the tensile strength of prepared composites were increased with the increase in mass fraction of Al2O3 up to 15%, but the elongation rate of the composites was decreased slightly. Because the composite material had a higher porosity and lower density, which caused the decrease of material hardness. In addition, comparing with relationship between wear rate and sliding distance, and that between wear and Al2O3 content in 6061Al, the commercial 6061Al alloy had the largest wear loss, while 6061Al/Al2O3 (15%) composite had the smallest amount of wear and the minimum wear rate, the presence of Al2O3 particles could reduce the plowing effect of abrasive particles on the matrix and could effectively improve the wear resistance of the matrix. Through the in-depth discussion on the Al2O3 particle reinforced metal matrix composites, the particle reinforcement was added to the metal matrix as a very fine powder (generally less than 20 μm), which played a role in improving the hardness, strength and wear resistance. However, when the content of Al2O3 became enough, a negative effect on many properties including hardness, strength and wear resistance occurred.
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2022, Vol. 32 
