Upshot of Ultrasonic Amplitude on Developing the AA6061/SiC Metal Matrix Nanocomposites

Abstract

In this work, AA6061/1.25 vol. % SiCp metal matrix nanocomposites (MMNCs) were fabricated using the ultrasonic cavitation assisted casting process. To investigate the effect of ultrasonic amplitudes on processing the MMNCs, the MMNC samples were processed with 15 µm, 30 µm and 50 µm of ultrasonic amplitudes. The results indicate that the ultrasonic amplitudes play a significant role in dispersing the SiC nanoparticles uniformly in the AA6061 melt and it also affecting the mechanical properties of the fabricated MMNCs. The AA6061/1.25 vol. % SiCp MMNC sample processed with 30 µm of ultrasonic amplitude possessed the good dispersion of SiCp in the Al melt and hence better mechanical properties compared to the MMNCs processed with 15 µm and 50 µm amplitudes.