The Use of Stirring Methods for the Production of SiC-Reinforced Aluminum Matrix Composite and Validation Via Simulation Studies

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different stirring methods on the mechanical properties of aluminum matrix composites in association with applied and computer-aided simulations. Four kilograms of A356 aluminum alloy was used as the matrix material, and 1wt% silicon carbide (SiC) with an average particle size of 50-56m was used as the additive material. Mechanical, ultrasonic and hybrid (both mechanical and ultrasonic) stirring methods were applied. Mechanical properties were determined by uniaxial tensile testing, and the quality index (QI) was calculated. Compared to the reference sample, QI was increased nearly 34% by using hybrid stirring. In accordance with computational fluid dynamics results, the effectiveness of hybrid stirring was confirmed where SiC particle distribution and dispersion were found to be uniform (homogeneity as 75%). After these detailed investigations, it was found that the optimum properties were obtained by using the hybrid stirring method.