Fabrication and characterization of A359/Al2O3 metal matrix composite using electromagnetic stir casting method

A composite material is a material consisting of two or more physically and chemically distinct phases. The composite has superior characteristics than those individual components. Usually the reinforcing component is distributed in the continuous or matrix component. When the matrix is a metal, the composite is termed a metal matrix composite (MMC). In MMCs, the reinforcement usually takes the form of particles, whiskers, short fibers, or continuous fibers. An MMC is a composite material with at least two constituent parts, one being a metal. The other material may be a different metal or another material, such as a ceramic or organic compound. Recently, aluminum and its alloy based cast MMCs have gained lot of popularity in all the emerging fields of engineering and technology owing to their superior strength, lower creep rate, better fatigue resistance, lower coefficients of thermal expansion as compared to monolithic materials. The desired properties of the cast MMCs are influenced by the solidification behavior of the cast MMCs. The present paper aimed to investigate the best possible predicted results and to carry out the experimental set up of electromagnetic stir casting process in composite materials. The present paper also shows significant effect of the mechanical properties such as hardness and tensile strength, and analyzes the microstructure of A359/Al2O3.