Effect of Processing Parameters on Mechanical Properties of Al7175/Boron Carbide (B4C) Composite Fabricated by Powder Metallurgy Techniques

Abstract

Metal matrix composites attain a significant position in Industrial, defense, structural and automobile applications. To amplify that strategy there is a need to find out the conditional behavior of the composites and enhancing the properties will be mandatory. The present work mainly investigates on the effect of processing parameters like densification rates, sintering temperature, reinforcement content on the microstructure, mechanical properties of the Al7175/B4C composite material fabricated by mechanical milling and powder metallurgy techniques. Results show there is a grain size reduction and refinement in the composite material through ball milling operations and along with that increasing B4C content in the composite powders make milling conditions very effective. Increasing the sintering temperature results in a consistent grain growth along with that porosity level decreases up to a limit and then attain a steady state, the strength of the composites increases with compaction pressures but reinforcements content effects the strength of the material by losing its ductility making it brittle.