Production and investigation of metal matrix composites doped with reinforcing elements at different ratios by powder metallurgy method

Today, as a result of the developments in industry and technology, the traditional materials cannot meet the needs of the industry on their own. Accordingly, composite materials have emerged to eliminate new and improved material deficiencies. The need for such advanced materials, especially in the aerospace, maritime, automotive and defense industry and military applications, has increased the use of composite materials and thus has been the driving force for further research and development of these materials. In this study, aluminum metal matrix composite materials reinforced with boron carbide (B4C) and silicon carbide (SiC) in different weight ratios are produced by powder metallurgy method. Reinforcement ratios were chosen as 8%, 16% and 24% for B4C and SiC. After mixing for 3 hours in the shaker-mixer, the resulting powder mixtures were compacted with a single axis hydraulic press under a load of 450 MPa. The samples were then sintered at three different sintering temperatures, 540 ° C, 580 ° C and 620 ° C, and two different sintering times for 2 and 4 hours. After sintering samples, metallographic sample preparation processes were applied to determine the microstructure and mechanical properties of the samples. After these processes, density and hardness measurements were made to the samples. Finally, microstructure analysis was performed by optical microscope, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and the results were evaluated. Thus, the effect of the reinforcement ratio, sintering temperature and sintering time on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the composite material were determined.