Investigating the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al5083-ZrB2 nanocomposite made by situ-stir casting and in situ synthesis

مهندسی متالورژی و مواد

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 17 May 2025   

Document Type: Original Article

DOI: 10.22067/jmme.2025.89865.1160

Authors

masoud motamedi yegane^* ; Ali Aliadeh

University Complex of Materials and Manufacturing Technologies, Malek Ashtar University of Technology (MUT), Tehran, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

This study, the effect of adding zirconium diboride (ZrB2) nanoparticles on the microstructure and tensile properties of Al5083 aluminum matrix composite was studied. Al5083-5wt% ZrB2 and Al5083-10wt% ZrB2 nanocomposites were produced by situ-stir casting at 1000°C using in-situ synthesis. Then, the samples were subjected to hot extrusion for uniform distribution of the reinforcements in the matrix. The ZrB2 nanoparticles used in this study were processed in situ using cryolite (Na3AlF6), zirconium oxide (ZrO2) and potassium tetrafluoroboride (KBF4) in molten aluminum. X-ray diffraction (XRD), optical microscopy (OM) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) were used to investigate the microstructure, surfaces and fracture mechanism of the samples, and tensile testing was used to evaluate the mechanical properties. The tensile test results showed that the addition of 10% by weight of ZrB2 particles, compared to the sample without reinforcement, increased the ultimate tensile strength by 18.2% and reduced the strain by 19.5%. Also, the additional extrusion process reduced the porosity resulting in increased density.

Keywords

In situ synthesis; aluminum 5083; vortex casting; zirconium diboride; zirconium diboride nanoparticles

References