Microstructural evolution and mechanical behaviour of AA6063/SiC_p bulk composites fabricated using friction stir processing

摘要

Friction stir processing (FSP) is a simple and effective technique to fabricate aluminium metal matrix composites with uniform particle distribution. In this investigation, AA6063/SiC_p bulk composites were fabricated using FSP. Experiments were conducted to study the effect of the feed rate on particle dispersement, hardness and tensile properties. The fabricated composites were observed to have increased micro-hardness and decreased yield strength. Optical and scanning electron microscopy revealed that particles in the matrix are uniformly and widely dispersed, and this contributes to the uniform strength of the composite.