Material characterisation and mechanical properties of Al2O3-Al metal matrix composites

The mechanical properties of metal matrix composites (MMCs) are critical to their potential application as structural materials. A systematic examination of the effect of particulate volume fraction on the mechanical properties of an Al2O3-Al MMC has been undertaken. The material used was a powder metallurgy processed AA 6061 matrix alloy reinforced with MICRAL-20(TM), a polycrystalline microsphere reinforcement consisting of a mixture of alumina and mullite. The volume fraction of the reinforcement was varied systematically from 5 to 30% in 5% intervals. The powder metallurgy composites were extruded then heat treated to the T6 condition. Extruded liquid metallurgy processed AA 6061 was used to establish the properties of the unreinforced material. (C) 2001 Kluwer Academic Publishers.