Potential assessment of Al 7075/BN composites for lightweight applications

Abstract

Contemporary life-style demands materials with enhanced properties and functionality for innumerable applications. Globally, aluminum and its alloys are widely used due to their properties viz. light-weight, high strength, ease of manufacturing, and lower cost. Especially, the aluminum metal matrix composites produced with the incorporation of nanoparticles are finding wide applications in aviation, marine, medical, household, and other industrial applications. In the present work, an attempt has been made to study the physical and mechanical properties of Al 7075 based nanocomposites reinforced with 0, 0.5 and 1.0 % by wt. of hexagonal boron nitride nanoparticles and prepared by squeeze casting technique. The microstructural study carried out on the fabricated composites reveals the uniform distribution of nanoparticles in the matrix without any evidence of agglomeration. Moreover, the mechanical characterization tests executed on the developed nanocomposites disclose that the developed nanocomposites are possessing better properties than unreinforced alloy.