INVESTIGATION OF THE INFLUENCE OF B4C REINFORCEMENT RATIO AND SINTERING TEMPERATURE ON MECHANICAL AND MICROSTRUCTURAL PROPERTIES OF Al6061-BASED METAL MATRIX COMPOSITES

Abstract

In this study, aluminum alloy Al6061 matrix composites reinforced with boron carbide (B4C) particles were fabricated using the powder metallurgy method. The effects of varying reinforcement ratios and sintering temperatures on the mechanical properties of the produced Al6061-based composites were investigated. Powder mixtures containing 10%, 20%, and 30% by weight of B4C were blended using a turbo mixer. The mixed powders were compacted under a pressure of 500 MPa and then sintered in a tube furnace at temperatures of 575°C, 600°C, and 625°C for 3 hours under an argon atmosphere to produce metal matrix composite (MMC) samples. The density, hardness, and bending strength of the fabricated composites were determined. Microstructural and fracture surface analyses were conducted using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the resulting mechanical properties were discussed. The results indicated that the density of the samples decreased with increasing B4C content but increased with higher sintering temperatures. Porosity levels were observed to rise with higher B4C ratios, while increasing the sintering temperature reduced porosity. The lowest porosity, 2.17%, was found in the Al6061 sample sintered at 625°C. Across all sintering temperatures, an increase in B4C reinforcement ratio led to higher hardness values but a reduction in bending strength. The highest bending strength of 118.32 MPa was achieved in the composite with 10% B4C sintered at 575°C.

Keywords

• Powder Metallurgy
• Al6061-B4C
• MMCp
• Sintering Temperature

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