An experimental study on mechanical properties of aluminum-boron compounds

In this thesis, mechanical properties of Al-B alloys, prepared by the addition of different amounts of borax to 99.70% pure commercial aluminum, were investigated. In this preparation process, amount of borax, holding temperature and holding time were realized as affecting parameters. Additive amount of borax were selected to be 5, 10, 15 and 20 percentage while holding temperatures were 800, 1000 and 12000C and holding times were 30, 45 and 60 minutes before casting into dies. By considering these parameters three specimens were prepared for each condition. These specimens were then subjected to mechanical tests such as tensile, impact and hardness tests and average values were recorded. As a result of mechanical tests, tensile strength of the alloy with the incorporation of borax was found to increase by about 33% in comparison to the pure aluminum without borax while 21% increase in impact energy and 54% in hardness value. A substantial quantity of aluminum-boride flakes were observed in the microstructural investigation of the samples. Microscopic observations of alloyed samples reveal homogeneous distribution of aluminum boride particles and fewer porosity levels. It is observed that mechanical properties of AA 1070 aluminum can be improved by incorporating with borax.Key Words: Boron Compounds, Borax, Al-B alloy, Mechanical Properties