Investigation of aluminium alloys to enhance their mechanical properties

• Published in: Materials today : proceedings
• Main Authors: Chandpasha, Syed, Ch Apparao, K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01-03-2023
• Subjects: Al-Si alloy; Composite materials; Grain refinement; Niobium boride; NbB2; MMC; Composite materials; Al-Si alloy; Niobium boride; Al-Si; Grain refinement
• ISSN: 2214-7853; 2214-7853
• DOI: 10.1016/j.matpr.2023.03.083

•Process improvement of Aluminium alloys and their grain structure refinement studies.•Ceramic hard particles effects on characterization of Al-Si alloy.•Taguchi approach for improvement of die casting process.•Estimate the optimal levels of significant input process parameters with the help of L9 orthogonal array.•Metallurgical Characterization of the stir castings at highest and least values of results.
In present era, the growth of the light alloys in automotive applications has been rapidly increasing in automotive industries to reduce fuel consumption. This study primarily emphasis on the effect of inoculation of NbB2 nano hard particles to base Al-Si alloy to enhance the mechanical properties of aluminium silicon alloys. Over the last five decades, several academics have conducted extensive research in this sector, primarily in order to produce effective grain refiners for various Al-Si alloys., also to better mechanical properties and to obtain a grasp of the mechanism of Al-Si alloys. In this paper, Al-Si composite has been fabricated by the addition NbB2 hard particle at different weight percentages (viz, 0.0, 1.0 and 2.5 wt%) as reinforcement particles, which acts as grain refining sites to enhanced heterogeneous nucleation for refinement of grain structure. The mechanical properties of these composition mixtures were studied using Tensile test, electron microscopy and microhardness measurements. It was observed that the primary aluminium α-grains were significantly refined particularly at higher addition level 2.5 wt% of NbB2 nano particles, conversely, poor grain refining efficiency was observed at lower addition level 1.0 wt% of NbB2 nano particles. Due to the structural refinement by NbB2 nano particles, the UTS and hardness (Brinell and Micro) of the Al-Si alloy are improved particularly at 2.5 wt% of NbB2 hard particles. Quantitatively UTS and hardness values have been improved by 12% and 17.0%.