Studies on mechanical and dry sliding wear of Al6061-SiC composites

Particulate reinforced Al-MMCs exhibits better mechanical properties and improved wear resistance over other conventional alloys. In the present paper, the experimental results of the mechanical and tribological properties of Al6061-SiC composites are presented. The composites of Al6061 containing 2-6 wt% SiC were prepared using liquid metallurgy route. The experimental results showed that the density of the composites increase with increased SiC content and agrees with the values obtained through the rule of mixtures. The hardness and ultimate tensile strength of Al6061-SiC composites were found to increase with increased SiC content in the matrix at the cost of reduced ductility. The wear properties of the composites containing SiC were superior to that of the matrix material. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.