Effects of stirring parameters on microstructure and tensile properties of (ABOw+SiCp)/6061Al composites fabricated by semi-solid stirring technique

Aluminum borate whisker (ABOw) and silicon carbide particle (SiCp) hybrid reinforced 6061Al matrix composites ((ABOw+SiCp)/6061Al) were fabricated by semi-solid mechanical stirring technique with different stirring temperatures and different stirring time. The influence of stirring parameters on microstructure and mechanical properties of the composites was investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and tensile tests. The results reveal that the homogeneity of reinforcement and tensile properties increase with decreasing the stirring temperature and increasing the stirring time. The optimal stirring parameters of 640°C and 30 min are exploited based on the microstructure observation and tensile properties of the composites.