Effect of percentage of reinforcement particulates on the corrosion behaviour of aluminium boron carbide composites

Abstract

Aluminum based composites are generally used to build marine structures and liquid cargo containers because of its high strength and low weight. In the present investigation, the corrosion behaviour of B<sub>4</sub>C particle reinforced Al-6061 alloy has been studied. The aluminumboron carbide composite were prepared using stir casting method by varying percentage of reinforcement from 6 to 12% in steps of 2%. Salt spray method was adopted to investigate the corrosion behaviour of the composite. The test was conducted for a period of 240 hours and for every 48 hours the weight loss of the specimens was measured. The extent of corrosion was measured by using weight loss method. The results showed that the corrosion resistance of the composite decreases with the increase in the percentage of boron carbide particulates. The optical microscope was used to analyze the corroded surfaces and corrosion mechanism. The pit initiation side tends to the possibility of the accuracy corrosion on the interface between the hard reinforced particles and matrix alloy.

Investigation of the Mechanical and Machinability Characteristics of Al6061 Composites Reinforced with B4C Particles

“…Al6061 alloy ingot was placed inside the crucible. This was heated to a temperature of 750 0 C. When the metal attained the molten state degassing using hexachloroethane was carried out [2,6,9]. At the temperature of 750 0 C, different amounts of preheated B 4 C (with varying percentages) were added into the vortex followed by mechanical stirring.…”

“…The industrial demand for new materials is a testimony for the development of MMC's (Al-MMCs). Low density, good thermal conductivity, wear resistance property has made Al -MMC to be considered as a candidate material for several structural, automotive and aerospace applications [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Among the different alloys used Al6061 is the most widely used one.…”

“…composition of Matrix Al6061 alloyFor this investigation, B 4 C in powder form with a mesh size of 140 was chosen as the reinforcement material. This selection was based on the favorable mechanical properties of B 4 C, such as its high strength and hardness values, which make it an ideal candidate for reinforcement purposes[2,6]. Table2presents detailed information on the properties of B 4 C, including its density, Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio, and thermal conductivity.…”