Behaviour of a stir casted aluminium hybrid composite under compressive and bending loads

The objective of the paper is to study the stress–strain behaviour of a stir casted aluminium hybrid composite (Al + 2 Mg + 0.5Ti + 2.5Cu + 7SiC) under compressive (0.001–0.1 s−1) and bending (1–100 mm/min) loads. Experimental value (2.5774 g/cm3) of the composite density is measured by Archimedes’ principle of water displacement method, whereas, its theoretical value (2.7015 g/cm3) is calculated based on ‘law of mixture’. Scanning electron microscope is used to observe microstructure of the composite. Energy dissipation by the composite is found nearly 58–61 MJ/m3 under compression at strain rates 0.001–0.1 s−1 for specimen aspect ratio 1 and nearly 53–59 MJ/m3 under three-point bending at crosshead speeds 1–100 mm/min for span length 100 mm. Porosity in the composite is evaluated as 4.59%. Specimen geometry affects the mechanical properties and, the heat treatment decreases compressive yield strength while increases malleability and energy dissipation of the composite significantly.