Mechanical Characterization of Ceramic Nano B4C-Al2618 Alloy Composites Synthesized by Semi Solid State Processing

Al2618 alloy composites containing 6 wt% nano B4C were prepared by liquid metallurgy two stage stir casting process. Characterization was performed using scanning electron microscope to validate the homogenous distribution of nano B4C particles in the Al2618 alloy matrix. The presence of B and C elements was confirmed by EDS analysis in the nano B4C reinforced metal composites. The mechanical behavior of the prepared nano composites were evaluated as per the ASTM standards, and it was noted that the tensile strength (ultimate strength and yield strength) and compression strength increased with the addition of 6 wt% nano B4C particles. Finally, to understand the failure mechanisms the fractography analysis was conducted on the broken tensile specimens by using SEM images.