INFLUENCE OF FSP ON AA 7075/SiC/CB METAL MATRIX COMPOSITES

Abstract

Aluminium alloy has wide application in both aircraft and automobile industry due to its high strength and light weight benefits. In this research work, stir casting process was used for fabricating aluminium alloy 7075 by reinforcing silicon carbide (SiC) and carbon black (CB) particulates. X-ray diffraction analysis, energy dispersive X-ray (EI)X) analysis and scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) were used to confirm the presence of SiC and CB particles and there uniform distribution into the aluminium matrix. Further, cast composites have been processed by friction stir processing (FSP) technique with the appropriate processing parameter speed of tool, feed rate, and tool tilt angle. Mechanical and microstructural properties of the composites before and after FSP were investigated through universal testing machine (UTM) and optical microscopy. The novel feature of the AA7075/SiC/CB is that it demonstrates a 2.5 times increment in the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and at the same time, appreciable amount of ductility is increased. The hardness additionally enhanced essentially. The fracture surface showed a ductile failure mode and also revealed the superior bonding between the particles and the matrix