Effect of addition of SiC particles on the Microstructure and Hardness of Al-SiC composite

This work aims to investigate the effect of the addition of silicon carbide particles on the microstructure and the hardness of the Al-SiC metal matrix composites. The said composite is prepared using the stir casting technique for different weight percentages of the SiC particles. The higher composition of the reinforcement causes the clustering of the particles in the matrix. Thus, research has to be carried out on the aluminum-silicon carbide composites with the reinforcement 3wt%, 6wt%, 9wt%, and 12wt% of SiC particles to obtain the optimized composition. In order to study the microstructure and the reinforcement distribution in the matrix, a scanning electron microscope is utilized. The hardness testing has been carried out using the Vickers’ indentation technique for the as-cast and age hardening conditions. From the microstructural study, it is observed that the microstructure of the said composite exhibits the uniform distribution of the reinforcement. The EDX results show the presence of the reinforcing elements in the Al-SiC composite. From the results obtained from the hardness testing, it is observed that the presence of the carbide element in the composite increases the hardness of the Al-SiC particulate composites.