Enhancement of Mechanical Properties of Al Cu Mg Alloy Adding Nano-Sno2 by Using Powder Metallurgy Method

Abstract

In the present research work, SnO₂ nanoparticle reinforced nanocomposites made from Al–Cu–Mg alloys were prepared by using powder metallurgy. It was observed from the results that the introduction of SnO₂ had significant impacts on the micro structure and possession of the composites. For low amounts of nanoparticle additions, a fairly uniform distribution of nanoparticles within the composite was noticed, whereas for high amounts of nanoparticle additions, there was agglomeration of particles and porosity formation. In addition, the average grain size was decreased as the amount of SnO₂ was increased in the composites. However, although the relative density was decreased, the apparent porosity was increased with increase in the content of SnO₂ in the nanocomposites. On the other hand, the mechanical properties showed marked improvement with an increase in the amount of nanoparticle addition, as a result of which the micro-hardness, compressive strength, and elastic modulus showed progressive increase with increase in the number of nanoparticles to reach a maximum at 8 wt%. Furthermore, the wear resistance was found to be enhanced with the addition of SnO₂ nanoparticles even at higher loads because of increase in hardness and load-bearing capacity.