Investigation on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Aluminum 7075 Reinforced with Different Weight Percentage of Tungsten Carbide and Cobalt Metal Matrix Hybrid Composites

Abstract

In this paper an effort has made to develop and characterize Al7075 alloy reinforced with Tungsten carbide (WC) & Cobalt (Co). For uniform grain size and homogeneity of the reinforcements with matrix, Cermets (WC-Co) of grain size 50 microns were prepared with the help of ball milling operation. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the microstructure; mechanical properties like hardness test & tensile test as per the standards for different weight percentages of Cermets like 3, 6 and 9wt. %. Micrographs were studied to know the micro structure of the composite material and the result showed the, randomly dispersed reinforcement particles & fine interdendritic precipitates were seen. A comparative study was conducted for the microstructure and mechanical properties by using Cermets with varied weight percentages reinforced with Al7075 matrix. Mechanical properties results reveal that there is a considerable improvement in tensile strength and hardness as the percentage of Cermet increased from 3 to 9wt. %.