Testing of lm13/b4c/gr aluminium metal matrix composite

Aluminum metal matrix composites provide both light weight, courtesy of the aluminum matrix, and enhanced strength, stiffness and wear resistance through the reinforcement which is added to produce the composite, although this is achieved at the expense of ductility. While commonly used reinforcements include SiC and Al2O3, the more recently used B4C is both the lightest and the hardest of the three, making it a viable choice with respect to the reduced weight criterion. Additionally, the capacity of boron for high neutron capture has created much interest in using B4C reinforced aluminum composites in strategic applications. The enhanced elevated-temperature strength and favorable neutron absorption characteristics of Al-B4C composites are strong points which justify investigating their suitability for use in both current and emerging applications. Aluminum/graphite composites have been used as self-lubricating materials due to the superior lubricating effect of graphite during sliding. The greatest challenge in introducing aluminum graphite composites in industrial components is the negative effect of graphite on mechanical properties of composites.LM13 alloy is selected as matrix material due to its wide acceptability in automobile and industrial use. Stir casting method is employed to fabricate composite with different particulate weight fraction ( Gr 2% and B4C 3 %, 5%). Using computerized universal testing machine and rock-well hardness tester mechanical properties such as hardness and tensile strength were tested. The test results indicates that by raising weight % of boron carbide particles in the LM13, tensile strength and hardness of the hybrid composites was increased