Novel high-performance textile fibre-reinforced aluminum matrix structural composites fabricated by FSP

This research deals with the manufacturing of novel textile fibre-reinforced aluminum metal matrix composites (TFRAMMC) by incorporating high-performance fibres in three forms (i.e., long, chopped, and flakes) using the friction stir processing (FSP) technique. The composites were characterized for their tensile, flexural, and impact performance to explore their load-bearing capacity and energy absorbency. The tensile and impact strength of long fibre-reinforced composite (LFRC) were found to be the highest among all composite samples; the value being higher than even the base metal (BM). The flexural strength of the composites was in the order of flakesreinforced composite (FRC) > LFRC > chopped fibre-reinforced composite (CFRC), and the BM exhibited the lowest flexural rigidity. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analysis revealed the uniform distribution and composition of various elements of the novel composite materials developed by FSP.

Automated summary

This research focuses on the fabrication of novel textile fibre-reinforced aluminum metal matrix composites (TFRAMMC) using the friction stir processing (FSP) technique, which incorporates high-performance fibres in three forms: long, chopped, and flakes. The composites were evaluated for their tensile, flexural, and impact properties to assess their load-bearing capacity and energy absorbency. The results showed that the long fibre-reinforced composite (LFRC) exhibited the highest tensile and impact strength, surpassing even the base metal (BM). The flexural strength followed the order of flakes-reinforced composite (FRC) > LFRC > chopped fibre-reinforced composite (CFRC), with the BM having the lowest flexural rigidity. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analysis confirmed the uniform distribution and composition of the novel composite materials produced by FSP.