Trans Indian Inst Met
DOI 10.1007/s12666-015-0542-8
TECHNICAL PAPER
SiC and Al2O3 Reinforced Aluminum Metal Matrix Composites
for Heavy Vehicle Clutch Applications
S. Dhanasekaran1 S. Sunilraj1 G. Ramya1 S. Ravishankar1
Received: 19 October 2014 / Accepted: 1 May 2015
The Indian Institute of Metals - IIM 2015
Abstract Aluminium metal matrix composite is one of
the most promising engineering material and gradually
emerging technology in automobile industries. There are
usage of this composite material in certain critical appli-
cations like clutch pressure and face plate assembly due to
their enhanced mechanical, wear and physical properties. In
the present study, A356 aluminum alloy reinforced with SiC
and Al2O3 particle was made by stir casting process. The
effects of different volume fractions of SiC and Al2O3
particle reinforcement on microstructure and mechanical
properties have been investigated. The tensile, yield
strength and hardness have been increased in the particulate
containing composites. As compared to base alloy, 20 %
volume fraction of SiC reinforced composites showed 16 %
increase in tensile strength and 10 % volume fraction of
Al2O3 reinforced composites showed 19 % increase in
tensile strength. The yield strength of 20 % SiC and 10 %
Al2O3 containing samples nearly 50 % higher than those of
the base alloy. Dislocation density, precipitation hardening
and changes in grain size are the main mechanisms en-
hancing the mechanical properties of particulate reinforced
composites. The 20 % SiC and 10 % Al2O3 reinforced
composites have been identified as optimized composites
for clutch pressure/face plate application.
Keywords Stir casting
Composites
Microstructure

Aluminium
SiC
Al2O3 reinforcement

Mechanical properties
& S. Dhanasekaran
Dhanasekaran.S@ashokleyland.com
1
Materials Engineering Department, Ashok Leyland,
Technical Centre, Chennai 600103, India
1 Introduction
The need to reduce emission, improve fuel economy and thus
earn carbon credits have been impelling heavy vehicle indus-
tries to seek innovative approaches in design and development
of lightweight materials with very high performance. Alu-
minium metal matrix composites (AMMCs) refer to the class
of light weight high performance composite materials. AMMC
combines metallic properties like ductility and toughness with
ceramic properties of high strength and modulus.
Extensive research is being carried out by number of re-
searchers to develop a high performance AMMCs material
that can meet the demands of commercial vehicle applica-
tions. Properties of AMMCs can be tailored to the demands
of different applications by suitable combinations of matrix,
reinforcement and manufacturing process. The composite
manufacturing process is one of the important parameters in
deciding the final properties. Processing, in general, is con-
cerned with the introduction of reinforcement into the ma-
trix, with a uniform distribution. The major drawback is
difficult to attain the proper bonding between the matrix and
the reinforcement and evading the agglomeration of par-
ticulates. All combinations of reinforcement and matrix are
not compatible and many cannot be useful composites. In
some composites, the coupling between the reinforcement
and the matrix is poor and an adhesion promoter is needed. In
others, excessive interfacial reactivity leads to a brittle
structure around the reinforcement. Chemical stability and
compatibility of the particulate with the matrix and metal are
important, not only for the end material mechanical property,
but also from fabrication standpoint.
Reinforcement materials include carbides (e.g. SiC, B4C),
nitrides (e.g. Si3N4, AlN), oxides (e.g. Al2O3, SiO2), as well
as elements of C, Si. The reinforcements may be in the form
of continuous fibers, chopped fibers, whiskers, platelets, or
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particulates [15]. SiC, Al2O3 and MgO particles reinforced
in the aluminum alloy matrix increases the tensile strength,
yield strength and hardness. But the ductility decreases. The
increase in volume fraction of SiC improves strength of the
alloy [6]. Arsenault et al. also reported that yield and tensile
strength increases whereas toughness and ductility decreases
with increase in volume percentage of particulate or decrease
in particle size. The decrease in mechanical properties with
high volume fraction of particulate is due to the formation of
particulate clusters in the matrix. Precipitated phases at the
grain boundary and at the inter-dendritic areas are also re-
sponsible for the crack initiation and propagation. The
fracture behavior of aluminum metal matrix composites
depends on the distribution of particulates in the matrix. The
non-uniform distribution of particulates in the matrix re-
duces the strength level [7]. The final properties of metal
matrix composites depend on the interface strength between
the matrix and reinforcement [8]. Several manufacturing
techniques are available to prepare the composite like
powder metallurgy, stir casting process, squeeze casting etc.
[9]. Stir casting is one of the low cost manufacturing pro-
cesses for MMCs and suitable for mass production. In this
process the matrix material is melted and the reinforcement
particles are added to molten matrix through a mechanical
stirrer. But severe interfacial reactions between the matrix
and reinforcement and poor wettability of the composites
limit its applications [10]. Many other manufacturing vari-
ables affect the final properties of AMMCs composites. They
include matrix alloy, heat treatment condition, particle vol-
ume fraction and size [11]. Stiffer, stronger matrix and good
interfacial strength of particulates creates high strength
AMMCs. Good bonding between the liquid matrix and
particles is required to transfer and distribute load from the
matrix to reinforcement which enhances the strength prop-
erties [12].
In this present investigation, SiC and Al2O3 reinforced
aluminum metal matrix composite have been developed via
stir casting process route. The effect of reinforcement vol-
ume fraction on microstructure, physical and mechanical
properties of the composite have been investigated.
2 Experimental Procedure
The matrix material used for the present study was A356
aluminium alloy. The chemical composition of A356 alloy
has been analyzed by spectro analyzer and (MakeSpectro
Table 1 Base metal chemical composition
Si Fe Cu Mn
6.57.5 0.32 0.2 max 0.1 max
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Trans Indian Inst Met
Max) is shown in Table 1. SiC and Al2O3 particulates of
size 1520 lm have been added to the matrix to prepare
the composite. Test bars were prepared by varying the
particulate percentage from 0 to 20 % to study the effect of
SiC and Al2O3 on mechanical properties of A356 alu-
minum alloy. Stir casting technique was used to prepare the
MMC test bars. A356 aluminium alloy was charged in the
electric furnace and superheated to a temperature of
800 C. SiC/Al2O3 particulates were preheated to a tem-
perature of 250 C for 30 min in an oven to remove
moisture and absorbed gases and also to avoid the huge
drop in liquid metal temperature after addition of the par-
ticles. Degasing of liquid metal was done by hexa-chloro-
ethane tablets. The liquid metal was transferred to the la-
dle. Liquid metal temperature was maintained at 750 C
with sufficient viscosity. The molten metal was stirred at a
speed of 200 rpm for 5 min with the help of impeller to
create sufficient vortex. The stir speed chosen is high
enough to get a sufficient vortex for proper mixing of the
ceramic particles with the liquid metal and at the same time
it is low enough to avoid the gas and air entrapment in the
liquid metal. The preheated particles were introduced lat-
erally into the vortex of the molten metal. One percent Mg
was added to increase the wettability of the particles.
Stirring speed was maintained at 200 rpm for next 10 min
to ensure the proper mixing.
Optimized T6 heat treatment was done on the test bars
to enhance the mechanical properties. Samples were held at
540 C for 4 h towards solutionization followed by water
quenching. Artificial aging was done at 170 C for 6 h.
3 Results and Discussion
3.1 Microstructure
The microstructures of A356 aluminum alloy and SiC and
Al2O3 reinforced composites are shown in Fig. 1. The base
alloy microstructure consists of large grain size as shown in
Fig. 1a. The grains are polygonal in shape and distributed
uniformly. In the microstructure of SiC reinforced com-
posites, the grain size was smaller than that of the base
alloy, and consisted of equiaxed grains (Fig. 1bd). The
SiC particles reinforced composites during solidification
are heterogeneous sites for nucleation and hence grain
growth has been restricted. This leads to grain refinement.
Furthermore, the particles have been distributed uniformly
Mg Zn Ti Ni Al
0.20.45 0.1 max 0. 01 0.05 Bal
Trans Indian Inst Met

Fig. 1 Optical microstructure SiC, Al2O3 particles added Aluminium composites a base alloy, b 10 % SiC, c 15 % SiC, d 20 % SiC, e 10 %
Al2O3, f 15 % Al2O3 and g 20 % Al2O3

with low segregation; its an indication of uniform rate of indicates the good wettability of SiC particles. The rotation
cooling in the stir casting process. It was also observed that of the stirrer generates a vortex flow through which the SiC
there is low agglomeration in the microstructure which particles were drawn into the melt. A high local shear force

123

was exerted on the clusters to break down the bulky co-
hesive SiC particles. In all reinforced composites, the SiC
particles are located in the grain boundary region. In 10 %
SiC containing samples, the grain size and boundaries were
not uniform as compared to 15 and 20 % SiC containing
composites. Whereas in 20 % SiC containing composites,
grains were elongated uniformly and had a plate like
structure. In 10 % Al2O3 containing composites, elongated
grains with uniformly distributed Al2O3 particulates were
observed (Fig. 1e). Furthermore, the particles distributed
uniformly in the matrix system is a good indication of
proper manufacturing process. In 15 and 20 % Al2O3
containing composites, agglomeration rate was high
(Fig. 1f, g). In both 15 and 20 % Al2O3 contataing com-
posites, the particulates agglomerated near the grain
boundaries. In addtion, 20 % Al2O3 containing composites
clustering volume fraction was higher than 15 % Al2O3
samples. It is an evident that, the degree of agglomeration
increases with increasing the volume fraction.
Table 2 shows the comparison between the theoretical
density, calculated by the rule of mixture for the composite
and the density measured by the experiment based on
Archimedean principle. The density of composite was
marginally higher than the base metal and increased with
increase in particulate percentage. The density measured
by the experiment is lower than the calculated one, because
of the presence of micro pores in the cast component and
non-uniform distribution of the particulates in all com-
posites. The pore volume fraction marginally increases by
increasing the particulate content. Increasing the volume
fraction of particles enhances the viscosity of the melt
which causes gas to be trapped in the molten metal and thus
the pore volume fraction of composites increased. More-
over in the higher particle samples, pore nucleation at the
surface reduces the liquid metal flow. In base alloy some
large pores were observed in the microstructure, while no
such pores were observed in the all particulate reinforced
composites. Furthermore, in 20 % Al2O3 containing
Table 2 Theoretical and experimental density of SiC reinforced
composites
Particulars Theoretical Experimental
density (g/cm3) density (g/cm3)
Base metal 2.71 2.6
Al ? 10 % SiC 2.749 2.612
Al ? 15 % SiC 2.768 2.608
Al ? 20 % SiC 2.788 2.643
Al ? 10 % Al2O3 2.799 2.619
Al ? 15 % Al2O3 2.898 2.658
Al ? 20 % Al2O3 2.997 2.668
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Trans Indian Inst Met
composites, the difference between the experimental and
theoretical density was nearly 10 % indicating that more
agglomeration of particulates increases pore volume
fraction.
4 Mechanical Behavior
The effects of SiC and Al2O3 reinforcement on the me-
chanical properties of aluminum metal matrix composites
are as shown in Fig. 2. The tensile and yield strength in-
creases with increase in the volume fraction of SiC rein-
forcement. Whereas in Al2O3 reinforced aluminum
containing composites, increasing the reinforcement vol-
ume fraction reduces the strength. The 20 % SiC rein-
forcement samples show 16 % improvement in tensile
strength and 10 % Al2O3 reinforced composites showed
19 % increase in tensile strength as compared to that of the
base alloy. In SiC containing composites, the increase in
mechanical properties was due to the large difference in
coefficient of thermal expansion between the aluminum
alloy matrix and the reinforcement. This creates misfit
stress due to difference in thermal contraction at the in-
terface between the matrix and reinforcement. The non-
uniform stress generates dislocations in the region. The
increased dislocation density improves the strength of the
alloy. The same composites have been heat treated and the
thermally induced mismatch served as nucleation sites for
precipitate formation in the matrix and reinforcement re-
gion. The increased amount of solid solution precipitate
increases the mechanical properties of 20 % SiC contain-
ing composites. Furthermore, increasing the volume frac-
tion of SiC particulate results in greater load transfer to the
reinforcement resulting in higher ultimate tensile strength.
In Al2O3 containing composites, 10 % volume fraction of
Al2O3 exhibits better properties than base alloy and SiC
containing composites. Furthermore, the increasing volume
fraction of Al2O3 particulates beyond 10 % reduces the
strength level drastically. In composites containing 15 and
20 % of Al2O3 particulates, material tensile strength is
marginally lower than the yield strength. This is an indi-
cation of the slow precipitation hardening rate during the
heat treatment as compared to the 10 % Al2O3 containing
composites. Since, the Al2O3 volume fraction increases,
more dislocation sites in the alloy also develops. During
the heat treatment, the dislocation sites act as solid solution
precipitation sites. The slow hardening rate reduces the
amount of precipitation and generates micro porosities.
Consequently, the strength level has been reduced in the
high volume fraction Al2O3 containing composites. Fur-
thermore, in homogenous distribution and higher degree of
agglomeration in (Fig. 1f, g) the 15 and 20 % Al2O3 con-
taining composites, the strength level reduces drastically.
Trans Indian Inst Met
Fig. 2 Mechanical properties
of base alloy and SiC/Al2O3
reinforced composites
Where as in 10 % Al2O3 containing composites, uniform
precipitation rate and homogeneous distribution of par-
ticulate matrix increases the strength.
Figure 2 shows the hardness of the base alloy, SiC and
Al2O3 reinforced composites. The hardness of both SiC and
Al2O3 particulate reinforced composites was nearly 16 %
higher than the non-reinforced alloy. The uniform distri-
bution of particles has an important effect on the hardness
increment of the composites. The constraints of plastic
deformation of the matrix during the indentation also de-
pend on the distribution of particles in the matrix. In SiC,
Al2O3 particulate reinforced composites, the particulates
act as obstacles for the motion of dislocation, thus in-
creasing the hardness. In addition, grain size reduction and
dispersion of particulates in the matrix system enhances the
hardness to a particular level. Based on the measured
hardness values, there was no significant change in the
hardness with respect to volume fraction of particulate. The
wear properties of the aluminum metal matrix composite
have also been investigated. Based on the preliminary in-
vestigations, the 20 % SiC particulate containing samples
shows nearly 20 % higher wear resistance than all other
composites.
5 Conclusions
A356 aluminum alloy reinforced with SiC and Al2O3
particle was made by stir casting process. The effects of
different volume fractions of particle reinforcement on
microstructure and mechanical properties have been
investigated. The yield and tensile strength increases with
increase in volume fraction of SiC particulates. The 20 %
SiC reinforced composite exhibits 16 % increase in
strength compared to the base alloy. Whereas 10 % Al2O3
containing composites exhibits 19 % higher strength than
base alloys. Higher volume fraction of Al2O3 containing
composites slow the precipitation rate and higher ag-
glomeration reduces the strength. Based on the present
investigation, the 20 % SiC and 10 % Al2O3 reinforced
composites are suitable material for heavy vehicle clutch
pressure and face plate application.
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