Abstract
The utilization of natural resources in material science has gained prominence due to the quest for sustainable and innovative materials. This work explores the development and characterization of an aluminum matrix composite reinforced with crab shell particles (CSPs). The CSPs were produced via the milling process for 72 hours and the CSPs were incorporated in varying percentages (0–20 wt%) into the aluminum matrix using a stir casting technique, the mechanical properties (tensile strength, compressive strength, % elongation, and impact energy) of the composites were determined using an Instron universal testing machine (UTM) and a Charpy impact testing machine, respectively. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to examine the microstructure of the composite fracture surfaces and Gywddion 2.65 software was used to view the SEM images of the fracture surfaces in three dimensions (3D). The results showed that tensile strength, compressive strength, % elongation, and impact energy were enhanced by adding varying percentages of CSPs on the aluminum 6063 composites.