Fabrication and Characterisation of Aluminium Matrix Composite (Al 2024) Reinforced with Zircon Sand and Flyash

摘要

Composites are becoming popular in advance engineering. Monolithic metals are replaced by metal matrix composites due to its low cost and improved properties like better strength, good wear resistance, hardness, etc. Aluminum Metal Matrix Composites (AMMCs) are used widely in aerospace, automobile, and marine industries. Among the Aluminum Alloys, Al-2024 as a copper-based aluminum alloy shows poor strength as well as poor wear resistance. In the present investigation, Al-2024 is reinforced with Zircon Sand and Fly Ash fabricated with the Liquid metallurgy route. Al-2024 is reinforced with reinforcements in different weight fractions like 0.25, 0.50, and 1 wt.%. The microstructural analysis is carried out with the help of FESEM. XRD analysis investigates the phase and structure of both matrix and dispersive phases. Wear test is conducted on Multiple Tribotester. It is found that with the increase in weight fraction of Ceramic Reinforcement, there is an increase in wear resistance. Reinforced AMMCs with 1 wt.% of Zircon Sand and Fly Ash in equal proportion have shown better results.