Microstructural Evolution, Tensile Failure, Fatigue Behavior and Wear Properties of Al2O3 Reinforced Al2014 Alloy T6 Heat Treated Metal Composites

Abstract

The paper focused on an experimental study on the microstructural, mechanical, and wear characteristics of 15 wt.% alumina (Al2O3) particulates with an average particle size of 20 µm, reinforced in Al2014 alloy matrix composite as-cast and heat-treated samples. The metal matrix composite (MMC)samples were produced via a novel two-stage stir-casting technique. The fabricated composite samples were subjected to evaluate hardness, tensile strength, fatigue behavior and wear properties for both as cast and T6 heat-treated test samples. The Al2014 alloy and Al2014-15 wt.% Al2O3 MMCs were in solution for 1 h at a temperature of 525 °C, quenched instantly in cold water, and then artificially aged for 10 h at a temperature of 175 °C. SEM and X-ray diffraction analyses were used to investigate the microstructure and dispersion of the reinforced Al2O3 particles in the composite and the base alloy Al2014. The obtained results indicated that the hardness, tensile and fatigue strength and wear resistance increased when an amount of Al2O3 particles was added, compared to the as-cast Al2014 alloy and it was observed that after subjecting the same composite samples to heat treatment, there was further enhancement in the mechanical and wear properties in the Al2014 matrix alloy and Al2014-15 wt.% Al2O3 composite samples.