Effects of ageing heat treatment on mechanical properties of sic and al2o3 particles reinforced aluminum alloy composites

Composite materials, one group of advanced materials, are widely used in various applications. Particularly in structural applications, determination of the mechanical properties of composite materials is very crucial. In this study, the effect of main aging parameters on the mechanical properties of ceramic reinforced aluminum alloy composites produced by hot pressing method was investigated. Al-5Zn-3,5Cu-2,5Mg alloy as matrix and SiC and Al2O3 ceramics materials as reinforcement were used in the production of samples. Totally, 12 compositions were prepared as alloy, composites reinforced with SiC, Al2O3 and hybrid in different reinforcement ratio. After the production of samples, firstly they were solutionized, and then both the artificial and natural aging processes were carried out. The hardness behaviors of samples were determined during the aging processes. Additionally, the yield strength of the samples having maximum hardness for different aging conditions was determined using three point bending experiments. Besides the microstructure of samples were observed by using optical and scanning electron microscopes. According to the experimental results in the naturally aged composites the hardness values depending the aging time arose in the beginning of the process but then it was seen that they had a stable behavior substantially. Furthermore in the artificially aged composites the different hardness behaviors were determined depend on different aging temperatures. Among the investigated samples, the composites with %20 SiC showed the best mechanical properties.Keywords: Composite materials, aging process, mechanical properties