EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF ALUMINIUM ALLOY (AA6063) – SILICON NITRIDE (Si3N4) COMPOSITE
Keywords:
aluminium, silicon nitride, powder metallurgy
Abstract
To obtain a homogeneous material, the aluminum (AA6063)-Si3N4 composite was processed for microstructural characterization using the powder metallurgy technique. Powder particles were cold welded and fractured repeatedly in a high-intensity ball mill. In this work, aluminum alloy (AA6063) matrix composites of various weight percentages of silicon nitride (Si3N4) were produced using mechanical alloying. Among the synthetic compositions were composites of: aluminum alloy (AA6063) with 0 weight percent Si3N4, aluminum alloy (AA6063) with 4 weight percent Si3N4, aluminum alloy (AA6063) with 8 weight percent Si3N4 and aluminum alloy (AA6063) with 12 weight percent Si3N4. By looking at the milled composite powders, the properties of the aluminum alloy (AA6063), Si3N4 composite were investigated with an SEM. The SEM analysis confirmed the homogenous distribution of Si3N4 in the AA6063 matrix and no pores. The introduction of Si3N4 into the AA6063 matrix led to the enhanced mechanical properties and low porosity in the composites.
References
1. A.Macke, B.F. Schultz, P.Rohatgi, Slot milling of AA7075 reinforced with nano silicon carbide particles – An experimental and finite element approach, Adv. Mater. Process, 170 (2012) 19–23 doi: https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.amp.2012-03.p019.
2. S. Sakthivelu, P.P. Sethusundaram, M.Meignanamoorthy, M.Ravichandran, Investigations on microstructure, hardness and tribological behaviour of AA7075-Al2O3 composites synthesized via stir casting route, Mechanics and Mech. Eng, 22 (2018) 357–369 doi: https://doi.org/10.3989/revmetalm.253.
3. Swamy ARK, Ramesha A, Veeresh Kumar GB, Prakash JN (2011) Effect of particulate reinforcements on the mechanical properties of Al6061-WC and Al6061-gr MMCs. J Miner Mater Charact Eng 10(12):1141–1152.
4. Ravichandran M, Naveen Sait A, Anandakrishnan V (2014) Effect of TiO2 in aluminum matrix on workability behavior of powder metallurgy composites during cold upsetting. Int J Mater Res 105:358–364 doi: https://doi.org/10.3139/146.111034.
5. Saravanan S, Senthilkumar P, Ravichandran M, Anandakrishnan V. Mechanical, electrical, and corrosion behavior of AA6063/TiC composites synthesized via stir casting route. Journal of Materials Research. 2017;32(3):606-614. doi:10.1557/jmr.2016.503.
6. M. Kok, Production and mechanical properties of Al2O3 particle-reinforced 2024 aluminium alloy composites, Journal of Materials Processing Technology, Volume 161, Issue 3, 2005, Pages 381-387, ISSN 0924-0136, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmatprotec.2004.07.068.
7. Aleksandar Vencl, Ilija Bobic, Saioa Arostegui, Biljana Bobic, Aleksandar Marinković, Miroslav Babić, Structural, mechanical and tribological properties of A356 aluminium alloy reinforced with Al2O3, SiC and SiC+graphite particles, Journal of Alloys and Compounds, Volume 506, Issue 2, 2010, Pages 631-639, ISSN 0925-8388, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2010.07.028.
8. Al-Falahat, A.M. The influence of silicon carbide on A356 aluminum alloy composites: mechanical properties, thermal performance, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), corrosion resistance, and microstructural analysis. Discov Appl Sci 7, 1053 (2025). doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-025-07496-y
9. Chawla, N. and Shen, Y.L. (2001) Mechanical Behavior of Particle Reinforced Metal Matrix Composites. Advanced Engineering Materials, 3, 357-370 doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/1527-2648(200106)
10. England, J., & Hall, I. W. (1986). On the effect of the strength of the matrix in metal matrix composites. Scripta metallurgica, 20(5), 697-700.
11. Delannay, F., Froyen, L. & Deruyttere, A. The wetting of solids by molten metals and its relation to the preparation of metal-matrix composites composites. J Mater Sci 22, 1–16 (1987) doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01160545.
12. Rajan, T.P.D., Pillai, R.M. & Pai, B.C. Reinforcement coatings and interfaces in aluminium metal matrix composites. Journal of Materials Science 33, 3491–3503 (1998). doi: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1004674822751.
13. B. Stalin, P.Ramesh Kumar, M. Ravichandran, S. Saravanan, Optimization of wear parameters and their relative effects on stir cast AA6063-Si3N4 Composite, Mater. Res. Express 5 (2018) 106502. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1088/2053-1591/aad99c
14. M. Taya, R.J. Arsenault, Metal matrix composites: thermomechanical behavior, Elsevier, 2016.
15. Lavepreet Singh, Sandeep Kumar, Shivam Raj, Shivam, Piyush Badhani, Development and characterization of aluminium silicon carbide composite materials with improved properties, Materials Today: Proceedings, Volume 46, Part 15, 2021, Pages 6733-6736, ISSN 2214-7853,doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2021.04.220.
16. M. Haghshenas, Metal–matrix composites, Ref. Module Mater. Sci. Mater. Eng. (2016) 03950–3953.
17. Aherwar, Amit & Patnaik, Amar & Pruncu, Catalin. (2020). Effect of B4C and Waste Porcelain Ceramic Particulate reinforcements on Mechanical and Tribological Characteristics of high strength AA7075 based hybrid composite. Journal of Materials Research and Technology. Doi: 10.1016/j.jmrt.2020.07.003.
18. Shekhawat, D., Singh, A., Banerjee, M.K., Singh, T., & Patnaik, A. (2020). Bioceramic composites for orthopaedic applications: A comprehensive review of mechanical, biological, and microstructural properties. Ceramics International.
19. Anand, Vishesh & Aherwar, Amit & Mia, Mozammel & Elfakir, Omer & Wang, Liliang. (2020). Influence of silicon carbide and porcelain on tribological performance of Al6061 based hybrid composites. Tribology International. doi: 151. 10.1016/j.triboint.2020.106514.
20. Shalaby, E.A., Churyumov, A.Y., Solonin, A.N., & Lotfy, A. (2016). Preparation and characterization of hybrid A359/(SiC+Si3N4) composites synthesized by stir/squeeze casting techniques. Materials Science and Engineering A-structural Materials Properties Microstructure and Processing, 674, 18-24.
21. Sharma, D.K., Bhandari, R., Aherwar, A., Rimasauskiene, R., & Pinca-Bretotean, C. (2020). A study of advancement in application opportunities of aluminum metal matrix composites. Materials Today: Proceedings.
22. B Stalin, M Ravichandran, S Jasper, C Ramesh Kannan,” Synthesis and characterization of brass–AlN composites synthesized by ball milling, Materials Today: Proceedings, Volume 22, Pages2573-2581 doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2020.03.388.
23. Shamim, Farhan & Dvivedi, Akshay & Kumar, Pradeep. (2021). Fabrication and characterization of Al6063/SiC composites using electromagnetic stir casting process. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part E: Journal of Process Mechanical Engineering. 236. 095440892110457. Doi: 10.1177/09544089211045796.
24. B Stalin, M Ravichandran, S Jasper, J Vairamuthu, “Experimental investigation and characterization of brass–AlN composites synthesized using powder metallurgy technique” Materials Today: Proceedings, Volume 21,Pages 164-168 doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.04.212.
25. S Jasper, D Vijayakumar, RL Sankarlal, B Stalin, S Rajesh, “Optimization of parameters for hardness of brass–AlN composite” Materials Today: Proceedings, Volume 74, Pages 53-56 doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.04.212.
2. S. Sakthivelu, P.P. Sethusundaram, M.Meignanamoorthy, M.Ravichandran, Investigations on microstructure, hardness and tribological behaviour of AA7075-Al2O3 composites synthesized via stir casting route, Mechanics and Mech. Eng, 22 (2018) 357–369 doi: https://doi.org/10.3989/revmetalm.253.
3. Swamy ARK, Ramesha A, Veeresh Kumar GB, Prakash JN (2011) Effect of particulate reinforcements on the mechanical properties of Al6061-WC and Al6061-gr MMCs. J Miner Mater Charact Eng 10(12):1141–1152.
4. Ravichandran M, Naveen Sait A, Anandakrishnan V (2014) Effect of TiO2 in aluminum matrix on workability behavior of powder metallurgy composites during cold upsetting. Int J Mater Res 105:358–364 doi: https://doi.org/10.3139/146.111034.
5. Saravanan S, Senthilkumar P, Ravichandran M, Anandakrishnan V. Mechanical, electrical, and corrosion behavior of AA6063/TiC composites synthesized via stir casting route. Journal of Materials Research. 2017;32(3):606-614. doi:10.1557/jmr.2016.503.
6. M. Kok, Production and mechanical properties of Al2O3 particle-reinforced 2024 aluminium alloy composites, Journal of Materials Processing Technology, Volume 161, Issue 3, 2005, Pages 381-387, ISSN 0924-0136, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmatprotec.2004.07.068.
7. Aleksandar Vencl, Ilija Bobic, Saioa Arostegui, Biljana Bobic, Aleksandar Marinković, Miroslav Babić, Structural, mechanical and tribological properties of A356 aluminium alloy reinforced with Al2O3, SiC and SiC+graphite particles, Journal of Alloys and Compounds, Volume 506, Issue 2, 2010, Pages 631-639, ISSN 0925-8388, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2010.07.028.
8. Al-Falahat, A.M. The influence of silicon carbide on A356 aluminum alloy composites: mechanical properties, thermal performance, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), corrosion resistance, and microstructural analysis. Discov Appl Sci 7, 1053 (2025). doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-025-07496-y
9. Chawla, N. and Shen, Y.L. (2001) Mechanical Behavior of Particle Reinforced Metal Matrix Composites. Advanced Engineering Materials, 3, 357-370 doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/1527-2648(200106)
10. England, J., & Hall, I. W. (1986). On the effect of the strength of the matrix in metal matrix composites. Scripta metallurgica, 20(5), 697-700.
11. Delannay, F., Froyen, L. & Deruyttere, A. The wetting of solids by molten metals and its relation to the preparation of metal-matrix composites composites. J Mater Sci 22, 1–16 (1987) doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01160545.
12. Rajan, T.P.D., Pillai, R.M. & Pai, B.C. Reinforcement coatings and interfaces in aluminium metal matrix composites. Journal of Materials Science 33, 3491–3503 (1998). doi: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1004674822751.
13. B. Stalin, P.Ramesh Kumar, M. Ravichandran, S. Saravanan, Optimization of wear parameters and their relative effects on stir cast AA6063-Si3N4 Composite, Mater. Res. Express 5 (2018) 106502. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1088/2053-1591/aad99c
14. M. Taya, R.J. Arsenault, Metal matrix composites: thermomechanical behavior, Elsevier, 2016.
15. Lavepreet Singh, Sandeep Kumar, Shivam Raj, Shivam, Piyush Badhani, Development and characterization of aluminium silicon carbide composite materials with improved properties, Materials Today: Proceedings, Volume 46, Part 15, 2021, Pages 6733-6736, ISSN 2214-7853,doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2021.04.220.
16. M. Haghshenas, Metal–matrix composites, Ref. Module Mater. Sci. Mater. Eng. (2016) 03950–3953.
17. Aherwar, Amit & Patnaik, Amar & Pruncu, Catalin. (2020). Effect of B4C and Waste Porcelain Ceramic Particulate reinforcements on Mechanical and Tribological Characteristics of high strength AA7075 based hybrid composite. Journal of Materials Research and Technology. Doi: 10.1016/j.jmrt.2020.07.003.
18. Shekhawat, D., Singh, A., Banerjee, M.K., Singh, T., & Patnaik, A. (2020). Bioceramic composites for orthopaedic applications: A comprehensive review of mechanical, biological, and microstructural properties. Ceramics International.
19. Anand, Vishesh & Aherwar, Amit & Mia, Mozammel & Elfakir, Omer & Wang, Liliang. (2020). Influence of silicon carbide and porcelain on tribological performance of Al6061 based hybrid composites. Tribology International. doi: 151. 10.1016/j.triboint.2020.106514.
20. Shalaby, E.A., Churyumov, A.Y., Solonin, A.N., & Lotfy, A. (2016). Preparation and characterization of hybrid A359/(SiC+Si3N4) composites synthesized by stir/squeeze casting techniques. Materials Science and Engineering A-structural Materials Properties Microstructure and Processing, 674, 18-24.
21. Sharma, D.K., Bhandari, R., Aherwar, A., Rimasauskiene, R., & Pinca-Bretotean, C. (2020). A study of advancement in application opportunities of aluminum metal matrix composites. Materials Today: Proceedings.
22. B Stalin, M Ravichandran, S Jasper, C Ramesh Kannan,” Synthesis and characterization of brass–AlN composites synthesized by ball milling, Materials Today: Proceedings, Volume 22, Pages2573-2581 doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2020.03.388.
23. Shamim, Farhan & Dvivedi, Akshay & Kumar, Pradeep. (2021). Fabrication and characterization of Al6063/SiC composites using electromagnetic stir casting process. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part E: Journal of Process Mechanical Engineering. 236. 095440892110457. Doi: 10.1177/09544089211045796.
24. B Stalin, M Ravichandran, S Jasper, J Vairamuthu, “Experimental investigation and characterization of brass–AlN composites synthesized using powder metallurgy technique” Materials Today: Proceedings, Volume 21,Pages 164-168 doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.04.212.
25. S Jasper, D Vijayakumar, RL Sankarlal, B Stalin, S Rajesh, “Optimization of parameters for hardness of brass–AlN composite” Materials Today: Proceedings, Volume 74, Pages 53-56 doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.04.212.
Published
2026-07-22
How to Cite
1.
S J, V S, R TI, M T, U V. EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF ALUMINIUM ALLOY (AA6063) – SILICON NITRIDE (Si3N4) COMPOSITE. MatTech [Internet]. 2026Jul.22 [cited 2026Oct.11];60(4):553–562. Available from: https://mater-tehnol.si/index.php/MatTech/article/view/1680
Section
Articles
