Influence of in situ formed ZrB2 particles on microstructure and mechanical properties of AA6061 metal matrix composites

Particulate reinforced metal matrix composites (PMMCs) have gained considerable amount of research emphasis and attention in the present era. Research is being carried out across the globe to produce new combination of PMMCs. PMMCs are prepared by adding a variety of ceramic particles with monolithic alloys using several techniques. An attempt has been made to produce aluminium metal matrix composites reinforced with zirconium boride (ZrB2) particles by the in situ reaction of K2ZrF6 and KBF4 salts with molten aluminium. The influence of in situ formed ZrB2 particles on the microstructure and mechanical properties of AA6061 alloy was studied in this work. The in situ formed ZrB2 particles significantly refined the microstructure and enhanced the mechanical properties of AA6061 alloy. The weight percentage of ZrB2 was varied from 0 to 10 in steps of 2.5. Improvement of hardness, ultimate tensile strength and wear resistance of AA6061 alloy was observed with the increase in ZrB2 content. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.