Optimization of Heat Treatment for the Hardness Characteristics of Titanium Carbide Reinforced Aluminum Composite Materials
摘要
This study aims to determine the mechanical properties of Aluminum 8011 reinforced with Titanium Carbide TiC and Graphene nano Particle composite, focusing particularly on hardness characteristics before and after the heat treatment of the material. The composites were synthesized using the stir casting method, incorporating 3, 6, 9, and 12 weight percentages (wt%) of TiC particles along with 0.2 wt% of Nano Gr. Al 8011 is enhanced with TiC and Gr particles for the creation of MMC. A mathematical model was established to optimize the heat treatment process, aiming for the highest tensile strength and ductility of aluminum (8011) silicon carbide particulate composites. The parameters involved in the process include solutionizing duration, aging temperature, and aging duration. The experiments were conducted using a nano hardness testing machine. The analysis of variance technique was employed to assess the adequacy of the developed model. The ideal parameters were determined to achieve the highest hardness strength. The examination of the indented surfaces reveals the presence of cracks and dimples on the heat-treated specimen. The optimal conditions for the treatment resulted in a significantly higher surface hardness, corroborated by the predicted values, with the achieved surface hardness being 35% greater than that of the untreated specimen.