Investigation on mechanical properties of AlZrCr- A1₂O ₃ nanocomposites fabricated by stir casting

Aluminum alloy composite with nano Al₂O₃ reinforcement will be designed to have good mechanical properties that correspond to its application. The addition of nano Al₂O₃ in aluminum is to increase strength and stiffness. In this study aluminum matrix made as a master alloy with the addition of zirconium (Zr) and cerium (Ce) to form Al-Zr-Ce alloys which was reinforced with nanoscale alumina particles known as nano aluminum composite which has high strength and stiffness. Master alloy Al-Zr-Ce used as a matrix content of 0.12 wt% Zr and 0.13 wt% Ce, while Al ₂O₃ nano particles (<100nm) used as reinforcement was various in the range of 0-3 Vf%. Aluminum composite was produced by stirring of molten metal with a rotational speed of 500 rpm at a temperature of 750°C in an inert argon gas environment then characterized both mechanical properties and microstructure analysis. The tensile strength increased with increasing Al₂O₃ nano particles up to 1 Vf%. Mechanical properties of composites were slightly increased and there was no significant change in elongation and hardness, perhaps due to the non-uniformity distribution or clustering formation of particles in the matrix.