Aluminium matrix composites significantly benefit the manufacturing sector due to the high strength-to-weight ratio. However, grain refinement was one of the major problems faced by the research community and also as-cast AA6063 contained eutectic silicon with sharp, long elongated laths that consequently reduces strength and limit their applications. So, the prime novelty of this research work is to refine the grains by performing the cold rolling operation in AA6063 and incorporating rice husk ash and coal fly ash in the AA6063 matrix to break those eutectic laths which attributes to the enhancement of the mechanical properties. Rice husk ash and coal fly ash were chosen because they are economical, possess low density and are available in enormous quantities as solid waste by-products. They contain a substantial concentration of SiO2 and serve as a viable reinforcement for improving the mechanical properties of aluminium composites. In this research, the grain characteristics along with the mechanical properties of aluminium composites reinforced with rice husk ash and coal fly ash, produced by the stir casting technique were investigated. The reinforcements were added in varying concentrations (1.5 and 3.0 wt.%). Six specimens were fabricated of which five were cold rolled. Image J and Origin software was used in evaluating the average grain size of the fabricated alloys and their composites. The results were discussed with the help of grain size distribution and profile plots. Structural and composition studies were done using scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction spectroscopy. Hardness and tensile tests were performed on the fabricated composites. The outcome of this research reveals, AA6063-3 wt.% rice husk ash composite has improved hardness (84HV) and tensile strength (156 MPa). Moreover, the average grain size of 10.52 µm was the main reason for the attainment of enhanced mechanical properties.

The grain characteristics and mechanical properties of aluminium composites reinforced with Rice Husk Ash (RHA) and Coal Fly Ash (CFA), produced by double stir casting in a sand mould, were investigated. As-cast Al.6063 alloys contained eutectic silicon with sharp, long elongated laths which reduces strength and limits their applications. Cold rolling operation was selected to break those eutectic laths and refine the grains for the purpose of property enhancement. RHA and CFA were chosen because they are economical, possess low density and are available in enormous quantities as solid waste by-products. They contain a substantial concentration of SiO2 and serve as a viable reinforcement for improving mechanical properties of aluminium composites. The reinforcements were added in varying concentrations (1.5 and 3.0 wt.%). Six specimens were fabricated of which five were cold-rolled. Image J and Origin software was used in evaluating the average grain size of the fabricated alloys and its composites. The results were discussed with the help of grain size distribution and profile plots. Structural and composition analysis were done using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), EDX and XRD. Hardness and tensile tests were conducted on the aluminium composites. The results indicated that Al.6063-3 wt.% CFA composite demonstrated the best balance of mechanical properties with hardness of 79 HV, tensile strength of 151 MPa and average grain size of 11.39 µm. This improvement is linked to the effect of SiO2 in CFA and plastic deformation of the specimens.