Microstructural observation, consolidation and mechanical behaviour of AA 6061 nanocomposites reinforced by γ-Al2O3 nanoparticles

• Microstructural analysis and characterisation of nanocomposites powders were studied.
• Sinterability and compressibility of nanocomposites were examined.
• Mechanical properties in terms of green compression strength and hardness of the nanocomposites were evaluated.

AA 6061 nanocomposites of nanocrystallite powders reinforced with nano-alumina particles were synthesized and investigated in this study. A uniform distribution of nano γ-Al2O3 in the AA 6061 nanocrystallite matrix was successfully obtained after 30 h of mechanical alloying (MA). The compressibility and sinterability of the prepared nanocomposite powders at varying sintering temperatures and varying compaction pressures was also studied. The consolidation behaviour of the AA 6061/γ-Al2O3 nanocomposites was evaluated using the Balshin, Heckel, Panelli and Ambrosio Filho, and Ge linear compaction equations. The compression strength of the green samples and the Vickers hardness of the nanocomposites were also evaluated. A maximum green compression strength of 176 MPa and a maximum hardness of 740 MPa were obtained for the addition of 2 wt.% Al2O3 nanoparticles to the AA 6061 matrix after 30 h of MA.

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