Investigations on Mechanical Behaviour of Micro B 4 C Particles Reinforced Al6061 Alloy Metal Composites

Objective: To develop and evaluate the mechanical behavior of 3, 6, 9 and 12 wt. % of B4C reinforced Al6061 alloy composites. Method: These composites were produced by utilizing stir cast process. The prepared metal composites were characterized by SEM, EDS and XRD analysis to know the distribution of particles as well as presence of particles in the Al6061 alloy. Various mechanical properties were evaluated as per ASTM standards to know the impact of boron carbide particles on the properties of metal composites. Findings: By adding B4C particles the hardness, ultimate tensile, yield strength and compression strength of the Al6061 alloy matrix was enhanced 23.9%, 15.4 14.9% and 34.7% respectively. Further, there was slight decrease in the percentage elongation of B4C reinforced composites. Novelty: In the present research Al6061 alloy with 3 to 12 wt. % of B4C composites were synthesized by novel stir casting method called as two stage reinforcement addition process. In this process 80 micron sized boron carbide particles added in two stages into the molten Al6061 alloy to improve the wettability between the matrix and reinforcement particles. Keywords Al6061 Alloy, B 4 C Particles, Hardness, Tensile Strength, Microstructure