Microstructural and mechanical characterization of Al6061-ZrB ₂ nanocomposites fabricated by powder metallurgy

Abstract Al6061-ZrB 2 -reinforced metal matrix nanocomposites were synthesized through the hot pressed process (PM) with varying the nano ZrB 2 content in wt% (0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2) and studied their microstructural and mechanical properties. Mechanical properties such as hardness, compression strength, tensile strength, and yield strength were investigated for the fabricated composites. Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) microstructural characterization of the PM samples revealed a uniform distribution of ZrB 2 nanoparticles in the matrix. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed the presence of aluminum and ZrB 2 particulates in the Al-metal-matrix composites. The incorporation of ZrB 2 particles into the Al matrix was shown to significantly enhance the microhardness of the fabricated nanocomposites by 11%. In addition, the incorporation of ZrB₂ reinforcements in the aluminum alloy significantly enhanced the compressive, yield, and tensile strengths of the AMCs. The density of composites was significantly influenced by the presence of ZrB 2 particulates. The best composite among the fabricated composites was identified as Al6061-2wt% ZrB 2 .