Effect of short glass fibers on the mechanical properties of cast ZA-27 alloy composites

This paper aims to study the effects of short glass fiber reinforcement on the mechanical properties of cast ZA-27 zinc alloy composites containing glass fibers of content ranging from 0% to 5% by weight. The composites were fabricated using the 'compocasting' method in which the short glass fibers were introduced into the vortex created in the molten alloy through an impeller rotated at 500 rev./min. The molten mass was thoroughly stirred, poured into permanent moulds and squeeze-cast under pressure. The results of this study revealed that as glass fiber composition was increased, there were significant increases in the ultimate tensile strength (UTS), hardness and Young's modulus, accompanied by a reduction in its ductility and impact strength. An attempt is made in this article to provide explanations for these phenomena. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.