Fabrication and Characterization of Mg–ZrO2 Composites
摘要
In the present investigation, ultrasonic vibration-assisted stir casting method is adopted to cast matrix composites with AZ31 magnesium as base alloy and nano-sized ZrO2 particles as reinforcement with varying weight percentages from 0.5 to 2. This paper deals with the study of microstructural changes and change in microhardness value of the newly formed composite. Observations infer that the incorporation of nano ZrO2 particles resulted in a reduction in grain size of the base alloy along with the fragmentation and dispersion of secondary phases (Mg17Al12). Results lead to an enhancement in the microhardness compared to the base alloy. The microstructural study suggests uniform dispersion of ZrO2 particulates into the molten matrix. Concerns associated with the fabrication techniques along with bibliographic analysis of magnesium-based research are highlighted.