Experimental Investigation on Stir Casting Processing and Properties of Al 6082/SiC Metal Matrix Composites

Ceramic particles are submerged into the metal to enhance the mechanical properties and also the tear and wear resistance properties and it is named as metal matrix composites (MMCs). MMCs find wide applications in the most advanced high-end engineering industries for structural applications, including aerospace and automobiles. The most easy and economical technique to produce MMCs is by dispersing solid ceramic particulates in a molten metal matrix by means of a stirrer and is named as stir casting method. The resulting mechanical properties are influenced by the uniform combination of ceramic particulates in the molten metal. The Al/SiC MMC is prepared by the mechanical stir casting technique in different compositions by varying the percentage of SiC with 0, 8, 9 and 10. The mechanical properties are evaluated by carrying the tensile and hardness testing of the standard samples as per the ASTM E8/E8 M-08. The strength under tension is maximum for the 10% SiC MMC with the value of 169.94 MPa is achieved. The hardness test results reveal that the 0% SiC has highest hardness number of 57.8 HRB. From the microstructural investigation, it is observed that clustering of the particulates occurs in the 8% SiC and gradual scattering in 9% and 10% SiC.