Production and characterization of titanium carbide particulate reinforced AA6061 aluminum alloy composites using stir casting

Abstract: Stir casting is an economical method to produce aluminum matrix composites. In the present work, composites of aluminum alloy AA6061 reinforced with various amounts (0, 5, 10 and 15wt. %) of TiC particles were prepared by stir casting technique. X-ray diffraction patterns of the prepared composites clearly revealed the incorporation of TiC particles without the presence of any other compounds. The microstructures of the composites were studied using optical and scanning electron microscopy. It was observed that the TiC particles distributed all over the composite and properly bonded to the matrix alloy. Local clusters of TiC particle were also seen in a few places. The result shows that the reinforcement of TiC particles enhances the microhardness, ultimate tensile strength and wear resistance of the composite. The details of fracture morphology, worn surface and wear debris are also presented in this paper

Predicting the influence of process parameters on tensile strength of AA6061/TiC aluminum matrix composites produced using stir casting

Abstract: Stir casting is an economical method to produce aluminum matrix composites (AMCs). In this work, stir casting was used to produce AA6061/15wt. % TiC AMCs. An empirical relationship was developed to predict the effect of stir casting parameters on the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of AA6061/TiC AMCs. A central composite rotatable design consisting of four factors and five levels was used to minimize the number of experiments i.e. castings. The factors considered were stirrer speed, stirring time, blade angle and casting temperature. The effect of those factors on the UTS of AA6061/TiC AMCs was derived using the developed empirical relationship and elucidated using microstructural characterization. Each factor significantly influenced the UTS. A higher or lower values of those factors resulted in poor tensile strength. The variation in the UTS was attributed to porosity content, cluster formation, segregation of TiC particles at the grain boundaries and 2 homogenous distribution in the aluminum matrix. The UTS was high when the porosity content was low and the distribution was homogenous. The present work concludes that a careful selection and control of stir casting parameters are necessary to reduce porosity content and obtain uniform distribution to improve the load bearing capacity of the AA6061/TiC AMCs