To Study the Effect of Varying Sintering Temperature and Reinforcement on Physical and Mechanical Characteristics of AA6061/SiC Composites

In this research, the AA6061 and silicon carbide composites with different weight percentages of silicon carbide are produced using powder metallurgy at different sintering temperatures. The compacted four composites AA + 0%SiC, AA + 5%SiC, AA + 10%SiC, and AA + 15%SiC are sintered at three different temperatures 4060C, 4640C, and 5220C. The effect of varying the reinforcement weight percentage and sintering temperatures on composite's physical and mechanical properties were examined. It has been concluded that the density and hardness of the composites were significantly influenced by sintering temperature and Wt.% of SiC reinforcement. The composites exhibited better hardness at a sintering temperature of 4060C. 15Wt.%SiC reinforced composite was influenced by sintering temperature, which restricts the grain movement due to higher SiC content. The optical micrographs revealed that an almost uniform distribution of SiC reinforcement is achieved within the aluminum matrix.