Effect of ZrO2 quantity on mechanical properties of ZrO2-reinforced aluminum composites produced by the vacuum infiltration technique

Abstract

This study aims to demonstrate the effect of ZrO2 quantity on the Al 2024-based ZrO2-rein-forced composite materials produced by using the vacuum infiltration technique, which is reported relatively less often in the literature. ZrO2 was used as the reinforcing element with ratios of 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%. Following the production process, the density of the composite materials was measured, and their microstruc-Tures were investigated under the optical microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The study also dealt with the determination of the mechanical properties of the produced composite materials. To this end, hardness measurements were done and cross-breaking strength tests, as well as abrasive wear tests, were conducted. The microstructure analysis revealed that the ZrO2 additive element was partially homogeneously distributed in the composite structure and the wetting between Al 2024 and ZrO2 was successful. Increasing the ZrO2 amounts gave rise to higher density, hardness and wear resistance values. However, cross-breaking strength decreased. To sum up, the results of this study revealed that the ZrO2 reinforcement improved the mechanical properties of Al 2024.