Experimental investigation on mechanical behavior of as cast Zn-Al-Cu/ SiC/TiB₂ hybrid metal matrix composite by ultrasonic assisted stir casting technique

Abstract Now a days, the Zn-Al-Cu alloy-based composites have great impact on modern trends for bearing applications because of its reliable mechanical performance. In this paper the mechanical characteristics of as cast Zn-Al-Cu alloy-based hybrid metal matrix composites have been investigated, as well as the influence of reinforcements Silicon Carbide (SiC) and Titanium Diboride (TiB 2 ) on the composite. The ultrasonic assisted stir casting technique has been adopted for fabricating the composites with the addition of dual reinforcements like 5 wt% of SiC as constant and by varying the wt% of TiB 2 as 0 wt%, 5 wt% and 10 wt%. The ceramic particles SiC and TiB 2 are taken with 20 and 30 microns in size. The ASTM standards were used to conduct the different tests, and the findings demonstrate the significance of adding reinforcements to alloy and also noticeable increase in mechanical performance in terms of hardness, tensile strength, young's modulus and impact strength. As cast Zn-Al-Cu/ 5 wt.% of SiC/ 10 wt.% of TiB 2 hybrid composite gives the minimum density as 4.79g/cc and maximum hardness as 156Hv.