Al6061 reinforced Al₂O₃ metal matrix composite produced by double blade stir casting

Demand for materials with excellent mechanical properties and lightweight increase in a recent year especially for highperformance applications. Aluminum reinforced Al₂O₃ composite (AMC) provide this superior property. Therefore in this research, aluminum alloy 6061 was used as a matrix and Al₂O₃ with 10 and 15 Vf-% as a reinforced for making metal matrix composites while magnesium as a wetting agent was used various from 8, 10 to 15 wt-% to improve the wettability between Al and Al₂O₃ since aluminum was poor wetting with ceramic. Al alloy 6061 was melted at 800 °C and magnesium was added into Al molten, then Al₂O₃ particles were poured into the melt. The process using double stirrer with a rotational speed of 1000 rpm for 3 minutes to distribute all Al₂O₃ particles in the Al melt and all the gas bubble formed was removed by flushing an Argon for 2 minutes. The composites produced then characterized both mechanical properties and microstructural analysis. The focus of this research is to investigate the effect of Al₂O₃ and Mg on the mechanical properties of composites. The result showed that the optimum tensile strength was 202 MPa which was obtained in composite with 10% Vf-% Al₂O₃ and 10 wt-% Mg. Moreover, hardness and wear resistant to composite increased with the addition of Al₂O₃ and Mg content due to good wetting in composites with 10 wt-% Mg. The double blade stirrer has contributed to the random distribution of Al₂O₃ particles in the molten Al. The microstructure observations showed that the composites yield pores and impaired the mechanical properties of composites.