Development of Al6061-B₄C Composite and Study the Effect of Heat Treatment on its Mechanical Properties

Abstract

Aluminum composites are growing in demand as an advanced material in aerospace industries, automobile industries, marine applications and structural applications. In the current work, an attempt has been made to study the mechanical properties of the monolithic AA6061 alloy, it’s composite by reinforcing B4C (4wt%) particles and T6 heat treated composite on the same ground. Al6061-B4C composite was developed by stir casting method and uniform distribution of particles were observed throughout the bulk which was confirmed by SEM-EDS. Subsequently T6 heat treatment was done on composite. Reinforcement in the matrix increase the hardness value of base alloy by 21.3%. The hardness value of heat-treated Al6061-B4C composite was found to be increased by 20.5% than that of non-heat-treated composite which may be due to formation of coherent Mg2Si precipitates. The presence of B4C particles and gas porosity in the matrix of aluminum alloy tend to decrease the value of impact strength of composite and heat-treated composite.