Mechanical and tribological behavioral evaluation of AA7075/TiB2 composite processed through UST

Development of materials with high strength having lightweight, has been the subject of intense research for the past three decades, and these are being exploited for a range of commercial applications, particularly the aviation and automotive sector. Aluminum-based metal matrix composites (AMCs) are being preferred for most of the applications. In this investigation, an attempt has been made to synthesize AA7075/TiB2 composite through the in-situ salt melt reaction technique and ultrasound-assisted in-situ technique (UST). Furthermore, the effect of hot forging on the in-situ and also UST composites is investigated. Microstructural analysis reveals that the UST reduced the porosity level, and further, the UST refines the size of TiB2 particles along with improvement in the dispersion of the TiB2 particles. The assessment of the composite confirms that the UST is found to improve the mechanical and tribological characteristics significantly. UST forged composite shows enhanced hardness and strength as compared to as-cast, in-situ, and UST. (C) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.