See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/305481291

Reinforcement of MWCNT in Aluminium alloy using stir casting process

Article  in  International Journal of Applied Engineering Research · January 2015

CITATIONS READS
0 630

3 authors, including:

Dr S Madhu S. Murugan
Saveetha University ISRO PROPULSION COMPLEX
33 PUBLICATIONS   53 CITATIONS    14 PUBLICATIONS   30 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Abrasive jet machining of CFRP View project

Lithium Triborate based Mechanical Sensing View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Dr S Madhu on 21 July 2016.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

 International Journal of Applied Engineering Research, ISSN 0973-4562 Vol. 10 No.33 (2015)
© Research India Publications; httpwww.ripublication.comijaer.htm

REINFORCEMENT OF MWCNT IN ALUMINIUM ALLOY USING STIR CASTING PROCESS

Vinod Kumar.S1,a Madhu,2,bDr.Mohana Murugan.S3,c
1. UG Scholar, Department of Automobile Engineering, Saveetha School of Engineering, Chennai-India-6021052.

2. Associate Professor, Department of Automobile Engineering, Saveetha School of Engineering, Chennai-India-

6021052.
3. Professor & Head, Department of Automobile Engineering, Saveetha School of Engineering, Chennai-6021053.
E-mail:vino.kumar1996@gmail.com a,mathumarine@gmail.com,betia2010@gmail.comc

ABSTRACT

Composite Material plays a vital role in the present modern industrial sectors. Preparation of metal-matrix
composite which are light weight, high strength, extremely hard materials which are use for industrious areas like
aerospace , motor vehicle industries ,mechanical tools manufacturing industries due to its advantages in properties
like, light in weight, flexibility, hardness, simplicity and easily applicable and so on. At the center of research and
growth of these sectors this work has been conceived having studied the reinforcement of composites. Now the
project has mainly concentrated on carbon nanotube which has been cored on aluminum 6061 using stir casting,
such that it enhances the properties of aluminum to a considerable extend. In this work initially silicon and carbon
nanotube powders are blended and mixed thoroughly to an average size of 15 to 30µ using planetary ball milling
process. Then the powders are reinforced to the aluminum 6061 using the stir casting process. Various testing has
been carried out on this reinforced material and the difference in properties before and after reinforcement has been
examined.

Keywords: Stir casting, MWCNT, Aluminum alloy, Ball Milling

I.INTRODUCTION

Composites are made up of individual materials referred to as constituent materials. There are two
categories of constituent materials: matrix and reinforcement. At least one portion of each type is required. The
matrix material surrounds and supports the reinforcement materials by maintaining their relative positions. The
reinforcements impart their special mechanical and physical properties to enhance the matrix properties. A
synergism produces material properties unavailable from the individual constituent materials, while the wide variety
of matrix and strengthening materials allows the designer of the product or structure to choose an optimum
combination..

Ming-Jen Tan et al have prepared Mixing of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and aluminium powder for powder
metallurgy use (2010).In recent years, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) reinforced aluminium matrix composites (AMCs)
have attracted increasing attention. The quality of dispersion, however, is a crucial factor which determines the
homogeneity and final mechanical properties of these composites. This work studied the mechanical mixing
methods, viz .high energy and low energy ball millings, and compared them to a novel polyester binder-assisted
(PBA) mixing method.

Shadakshari R et al have prepared the Carbon Nanotube Reinforced Aluminium Matrix Composites (2012).The
present paper illustrates mixing procedures for Al-CNTs powder preparation alongside depiction of the CNTs
dispersion results from the different mixing techniques. XRD analysis showed that the mean grain size of powders

25482
 International Journal of Applied Engineering Research, ISSN 0973-4562 Vol. 10 No.33 (2015)
© Research India Publications; httpwww.ripublication.comijaer.htm

milled for 6 h was found to be 48.4 nm and for extradites of CNT-Al, it is 56.6nm. Based on the geometry and
physical properties of multiwall nanotubes, three strengthening mechanisms were considered for CNT/Al composite
system.

B. Abbasipour, et al has done Compocasting of A356-CNT composite (2010). A356 aluminium alloys reinforced
with carbon nano-tubes (CNTs) were produced by stir casting and compocasting routes and their microstructural
characteristics and hardness were examined. In order to alleviate the problems associated with poor wettability,
agglomeration and gravity segregation of CNTs in the melt, CNTs were introduced into the melts by injection of
CNT Deposited aluminum particles instead of raw CNTs. Aluminium particles with mean diameters of less than 100
μm were first deposited by CNTs using Ni-P electro less plating technique and then injected into the melt agitated
by a mechanical stirrer.Mohsen Hajizamani, et al has done the Fabrication and Studying the Mechanical Properties
of A356 Alloy Reinforced with Al2O3-10% Vol. ZrO2 Nanoparticles through Stir Casting (2011).Al2O3-ZrO2 with
a high level of hardness and toughness is known as ceramic steel. Due to its unique proper-ties it can be used as
reinforcement in fabrication of metal matrix composites. In this study, nanoparticles of Al2O3-10% ZrO2 with an
average size of 80 nm were used to fabricate Al matrix composites containing 0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2 wt % of the
reinforcement.

K. Alaneme et al has done the Corrosion Behaviour of Alumina Reinforced Aluminium (6063) Metal Matrix
Composites (2011). The influence of alumina volume percent and solution heat-treatment on the corrosion
behaviour of Al (6063) composites and its monolithic alloy in salt water, basic and acidic environments is
investigated. Al (6063) – Al2O3 particulate composites containing 6, 9, 15, and 18 volume percent alumina were
produced by adopting two step stir casting. Mass loss and corrosion rate measurements were utilized as criteria for
evaluating the corrosion behaviour of the composites.

Vivekanandan .P et al has prepared The Experimental Analysis of Stir Casting Method on Aluminum-Fly Ash
Composites (2013). Metal matrix composites (MMCs) possess significantly improved properties including high
specific strength; specific modulus, damping capacity and good wear resistance compared to unreinforced alloys.
There has been an increasing interest in composites containing low density and low cost reinforcements. Among
various discontinuous dispersoids used, fly ash is one of the most inexpensive and low density reinforcement
available in large quantities as solid waste by- product during combustion of coal in thermal power plants. S..

Muhammad Hayat Jokhio et al have done the manufacturing of aluminum composite material using stir casting
process (2010).manufacturing of aluminum alloy based casting composite materials via stir casting is one of the
prominent and economical route for development and processing of metal matrix composites materials. properties of
these materials depend upon many processing parameters and selection of matrix and reinforcements. literature
reveals that most of the researchers are using 2, 6 and 7xxx aluminum matrix reinforced with sic particles for high
strength properties whereas, insufficient information is available on reinforcement of "al2o3" particles in 7xxx
aluminum matrix. the 7xxx series aluminum matrix usually contains cu-zn-mg.

1.1 ALUMINUM METAL MATRIX COMPOSITE

The process of metal matrix composite materials is to combine the desirable attributes of metals and ceramics. The
addition of high strength, high modulus refractory particles to a ductile metal matrix produces a material
whose mechanical properties are intermediate between the matrix alloy and the ceramic reinforcement. Metals
have a useful combination of properties such as high strength, ductility and high temperature resistance, but
sometimes have low stiffness, whereas ceramics are stiff and strong, though brittle. Aluminum and silicon , for
example, have very different mechanical properties: Young's moduli of 70 and 400 GPa, and yield strengths of 35

25483
 International Journal of Applied Engineering Research, ISSN 0973-4562 Vol. 10 No.33 (2015)
© Research India Publications; httpwww.ripublication.comijaer.htm

and 600 MPa, respectively. By combining these materials, e.g. A6061/Si/17p (T6 condition), an MMC with a
Young's modulus of 96.6 GPa and a yield strength of 510 MPa can be produced.

2. POWDER TREATMENT

Fig-1 SEM IMAGES OF MWCNT

2.1 POWDER TREATMENT -BALL MILLING

A ball mill is a type of grinder used to grind materials into extremely fine powder for use in mineral
dressing processes, paints, pyrotechnics, and ceramics. A ball mill, a type of grinder, is a cylindrical device used in
grinding (or mixing) materials like ores, chemicals, ceramic raw materials and paints. Ball mills rotate around a
horizontal axis, partially filled with the material to be ground plus the grinding medium. Different materials are used
as media, including ceramic balls, flint pebbles and stainless steel balls. An internal cascading effect reduces the
material to a fine powder. Industrial ball mills can operate continuously fed at one end and discharged at the other
end. Large to medium-sized ball mills are mechanically rotated on their axis, but small ones normally consist of a
cylindrical capped container that sits on two drive shafts (pulleys and belts are used to transmit rotary motion). (Fig-
2)Weight Percentage of Silicon powder - 23wt% and MWCNT - 5wt% the powder is The powders used
stir casting is for Silicon powder – 325 mesh (45µ), Multi walled carbon nanotube – 10nm ID, 30nm Dower
purchased this powders from zigma Aldrich.The following photo show the

Fig-2

25484
 International Journal of Applied Engineering Research, ISSN 0973-4562 Vol. 10 No.33 (2015)
© Research India Publications; httpwww.ripublication.comijaer.htm

2.2 PLANETARY BALL MILL

Small vertical ball mills are about the size of a blender and are intended for laboratory or shop use.
They are small enough to fit on a lab table or workbench and only big enough to process the small quantities need
for desktop applications -- they are not intended for commercial or industrial use. (Fig-3)These ball mills are often
called planetary ball mills. The rotating drums are not usually detachable -- the material is poured into the top and
the cap is replaced, like a kitchen blender

Fig-3TYPICAL PLANETERY TYPE BALL MILLING METHOD

2.3 PARAMETERS OF BALL MILLING

Table 1 Parameters of Ball Milling

S. No Parameter Values
1 Prime motor speed 1830rpm(65hz, 1hz=30rpm)
2 Ball milling speed 135rpm
3 No. Of balls used 20
4 Ball material Ceramic(statite)
5 Dia of the ball 26mm
6 Volume of al powder 149.49cm³
7 Volume of si powder 91.88cm³
8 Volume of cnt powder 81.67cm³

.2.4 SEM AND EDAX IMAGES OF MIXED POWDER

25485
 International Journal of Applied Engineering Research, ISSN 0973-4562 Vol. 10 No.33 (2015)
© Research India Publications; httpwww.ripublication.comijaer.htm

Fig-4 SEM IMAGES OF MIXED POWDERS

3. STIR CASTING PROCESS

In a stir casting process, the reinforcing phases (usually in powder form) are distributed into molten
Aluminum by mechanical stirring. Stir casting of metal matrix composites was initiated in 1968, when S. Ray
Gintroduced alumina particles into an aluminum melt by stirring molten aluminum alloys containing the ceramic
powders A typical stir casting process of Aluminum alloy matrix composite is illustrated in Fig. .Mechanical
stirring in the furnace is a key element of this process. The resultant molten alloy, with ceramic particles, can then
be used for die casting, permanent mold casting, or sand casting. Stir casting is suitable for manufacturing
composites with up to 30% volume fractions of reinforcement. The cast composites are sometimes further extruded
to reduce porosity, refine the microstructure, and homogenize the distribution of the reinforcement.

A major concern associated with the stir casting process is the segregation of reinforcing particles
which is caused by the surfacing or settling of the reinforcement particles during the melting and casting
processes. The final distribution of the particles in the solid depends on material properties and process parameters
such as the wetting condition of the particles with the melt, strength of mixing, relative density, and rate of
solidification .The distribution of the particles in the molten matrix depends on the geometry of the mechanical
stirrer, stirring parameters, placement of the mechanical stirrer in the melt, melting temperature, and the
characteristics of the particles added.

3.1 POWDER MIXING PROPORTION FOR STIR CASTING

Weight Percentage - Aluminium6061 -72% , (Silicon powder + MWCNT) – 28% and the Powder
Size Silicon powder – 325 mesh (45µ) Multi walled carbon nanotube – 10nm ID, 30nm OD.

3.2 PROCEDURE FOR PRODUCTION OF AMC BY STIR CASTING METHOD

A metered amount of matrix alloy was charged into the stainless steel crucible or graphite crucible in
a furnace under argon atmosphere. The furnace temperature was raised according to the melting temperature of
matrix and held at that temperature until the matrix material melted completely .A four blade stirrers can be used to
stir the melt. Pairs of calibrated chromel-alumel thermocouples were used to measure and control the
temperature of the furnace by inserting into the melt and placing it close to the crucible wall. The stirring was
started using the four blade stirrer, driven by a variable speed motor, thus creating the vortex in the melt. After the
formation of the vortex in the melt region, Si and MWCNT particles were added at a uniform rate (which
were previously preheated to a certain temperature separately to enhance wettability separately). It was
also ensured that temperature of the Sic was as same as melt temperature to maintain uniform viscosity of melt.

25486
 International Journal of Applied Engineering Research, ISSN 0973-4562 Vol. 10 No.33 (2015)
© Research India Publications; httpwww.ripublication.comijaer.htm

After the addition of the Si and MWCNT, the temperature of furnace was maintained at that
temperature and stirring was continued for a specified time. The stirrer speed was maintained in order to
maintain vortex strong enough to draw and disperse the particles into the melt. The semi-solid slurry was
poured into specially designed mould with four rectangular plates and one square plate tightened with the help of
nuts and bolts for easy separation of casting block from mould and this mould is transferred to furnace -1 for
mechanical squeezing action using the reciprocating action. This reciprocating action helped in removing
entrapped gases. The melt was then left squeezed under pressure. The crucible with pressurized melt was
immediately taken out of furnace -1 and water quenched. The quenching ensured better uniformity in the
distribution of the reinforcement particles throughout the casting. The MMC billet was removed from mould by
unscrewing the plates .In order to achieve the optimum properties of the metal matrix composite, the distribution
Of the reinforcement material in the matrix alloy must be uniform, and the wettability or bonding between these
substances should be optimized. The porosity levels need to be minimized, and chemical reactions between
the reinforcement materials and the matrix alloy must be avoided.

3.3ANALYSIS OF ALUMINIUM REINFORCED COMPOSITE USING STIR CASTING

Using scanning electron microscope the sem images of aluminium after coating of MWCNT Has examined

The figure shows the scanning microscope images coated material

Fig-5

4. MECHANICAL TESTING

Various Mechanical properties has been studied

25487
 International Journal of Applied Engineering Research, ISSN 0973-4562 Vol. 10 No.33 (2015)
© Research India Publications; httpwww.ripublication.comijaer.htm

Fig-6

5. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

5.1 PROPERTIES OF ALUMINIUM ROD BEFORE REINFORCEMENT OF COMPOSITES

S. No Parameters Values obtained from testing

1 Tensile strength in mpa 69.95

2 Yield stress in mpa 61.82

3 Elongation 1.44

4 Shear strength in mpa 60.65

5 Hardness in hbw 59.4

Table -2

5.2 PROPERTIES OF ALUMINIUM ROD AFTER REINFORCEMENT OF (Si + MWCNT) COMPOSITES

S. No Parameters Values obtained from testing

1 Tensile strength in mpa 125.74

2 Yield stress in mpa 113.45

3 Elongation (in 50mm) 0.80
4 Shear strength in mpa 70.57
5 Hardness in hbw 126.4
Table-3

5.3PROPERTIES OF ALUMINIUM ROD BEFORE AND AFTER REINFORCEMENT OF COMPOSITES

S. No Parameters Al Rod Al Rod

With (Si + MWCNT)

1 Tensile strength in mpa 69.95 125.74

2 Yield stress in mpa 61.82 113.45

3 Elongation 1.44 0.80

25488
 International Journal of Applied Engineering Research, ISSN 0973-4562 Vol. 10 No.33 (2015)
© Research India Publications; httpwww.ripublication.comijaer.htm

4 Shear strenght in mpa 60.65 70.57

5 Hardness in hbw 59.4 126.4

Table-4

6. CONCLUSION

The tensile test is conducted for the Aluminum matrix composite reinforced with (Si + MWCNT). It has been
observed that strength has been improved to a percentage.Micro-hardness test is carried out to evaluate the
improvement in hardness. It has been observed that hardness percentage has been improved.Micro structure is
examined using the Metascope to find out the deposition of the composite in reinforcement.SEM and EDAX was
examined to know the phase analysis of composite reinforcement. From this the proportion of the composite is
confirmed.From above analysis, it is evident that the composite prepared using (Si + MWCNT) powder as
reinforcement as got superior properties compared to the composite prepared by other techniques and other particle
reinforcement.Hence the prepared component gives better service life in some selected application.

REFERENCES

1. M.N. Nahas, S.S. Habib, and M. Abd-Rabou, Characterization of Carbon Nanotube Composites,
International Conference of Nanotechnology, ICON 008, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah,
Saudi Arabia, June 2008.
2. M. Abd-Rabou and M.N. Nahas, Finite element modelling of nano- structured materials, Int. J. Nano
and Biomaterials, (in press).
3. B. Liu, Y. Huang, H. Jiang, S. Qu, and K.C. Hwang, The atomic-scale finite element method,
Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering, 193, 1849-1864 (2004).
4. B. Liu, H. Jiang, Y. Huang, H. Jiang, S. Qu, M.F. Yu and K.C. Hwang, Atomic-scale finite element method
in multiscale computation with applications to carbon nanotubes, PHYSICAL REVIEW B, 72, (2005).
5. V. Anumandla, and R.F. Gibson, A comprehensive closed form micromechanics model for
estimating the elastic modulus of nanotube- reinforced composites, Composites Part A: Applied Science
and Manufacturing, 37, 2178-2185 (2006).
6. K. Mylvaganam, and L.C. Zhang, Important issues in a molecular dynamics simulation for
characterising the mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes, Carbon, 42, 2025-2032 (2004).
7. L. Nasdala, and G. Ernst, Development of a 4-node finite element for the computation of nano-
structured materials, Computational Materials Science, 33, 443- 458 (2005).
8. G.I. Giannopoulos, P.A. Kakavasb, and N.K. Anifantis, Evaluation of the effective mechanical
properties of single walled carbon nanotubes using a spring based finite element approach, Computational
Materials Science, 41, 561-569 (2008).
9. B. WenXing, Z. ChangChun, and C. WanZhao, Simulation of Young's modulus of single-walled carbon
nanotubes by molecular dynamics, Physica B:Condensed Matter, 352, 156-163 (2004).

25489
 International Journal of Applied Engineering Research, ISSN 0973-4562 Vol. 10 No.33 (2015)
© Research India Publications; httpwww.ripublication.comijaer.htm

10. Y.J. Liu, and X.L. Chen, Evaluations of the effective material properties of carbon nanotube-based
composites using a nanoscale representative volume element, Mechanics of Materials, 35, 69-81 (2003).
11. R.B. Pipes, and P. Hubert, Helical carbon nanotube arrays: mechanical properties, Composites Science and
Technology, 62, 419-428 (2002).
12. Y.S. Song, and J.R. Youn, Modeling of effective elastic properties for polymer based carbon nanotube
composites", Polymer, 47, 1741-1748 (2006).
13. M. Meo, and M. Rossi, Prediction of Young’s modulus of single wall carbon nanotubes by molecular-
mechanics based finite element modeling, Composites Science and Technology, 66, 1597-1605 (2006).
14. X.L. Chen, and Y.J. Liu, Square representative volume elements for evaluating the effective material
properties of carbon nanotube-based composites, Computational Materials Science, 29, 1-11
(2004).
15. J.R. Xiao, B.A. Gama, and J.W. Gillespie, An analytical molecular structural mechanics model for the
mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes, International Journal of Solids and Structures, 42, 3075-3092
(2005).
16. P.S. Das, and L.T. Wille, Atomistic and continuum studies of carbon nanotubes under pressure,
Computational Materials Science, 24, 159-162 (2002).
17. Q. Wang, Effective in-plane stiffness and bending rigidity of armchair and zigzag carbon nanotubes",
International Journal of Solids and Structures, 41, 5451-5461 (2004).
18. K.I. Tserpes, and P. Papanikos, Finite element modeling of single-walled carbon nanotubes,
Composites Part B: Engineering, 36, 468-477 (2005).
19. K.I. Tserpes, P. Papanikos, G. Labeas, and S.G. Pantelakis, Multi-scale modeling of tensile behavior of
carbon nanotube-reinforced composites, Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics, 49, 51-60
(2008).
20. Y. Liu, N. Nishimurab, and Y. Otani, Large-scale modeling of carbon- nanotube composites by a fast
multipole boundary element method, Computational Materials Science, 34, 173-187 (2005).
21. K.-T. Lau,, M. Chipara, H.-Y. Ling, and D. Hui, On the effective elastic moduli of carbon
nanotubes for nanocomposite structures, Composites Part B: Engineering, 35, 95-101 (2004).

25490

View publication stats