The effect of secondary thermomechanical processing parameters on the ambient temperature behavior of 10% volume 6061 Al-alumina metal matrix composite

Abstract

Thermomechanical processing (TMP) was conducted on a 10 volume percent, 6061 Al-Al(2)O(3) particle reinforced 'metal-matrix composite' (MMC) The TMP employed consisted of isothermal rolling with intermediate annealing using a schedule of reduction with constant strain per pass for most of the schedule. The as-processed material exhibited high strength while simultaneously achieving ductility comparable to that of the unreinforced 6061 matrix alloy. In the fully annealed condition, the composite's strength and ductility were essentially equal to those of the unreinforced aluminum. An aging study showed accelerated aging and greater peak strength for the composite. Finally, a process and heat treatment combination was established in an attempt to optimize simultaneously the strength and ductility of the composite. It was found that the composite could be aged to a peak strength of 340 MPA while retaining a ductility of 14 percent elongation to failure.