In this study, the processing of SiC particulate-strengthened magnesium alloy metal matrix composites via vacuum supported inert atmosphere stir casting process is presented. The effects of small variations in the SiC particulate (average size 20 µm) reinforcement in magnesium alloy AZ91 were examined. It was found that with the addition of SiC particulate reinforcement, the hardness improved considerably, while the ultimate tensile and yield strength improved slightly. The density and porosity of the magnesium alloy-based composites increased with the increase in the wt.% of SiC particulates. The tensile and compressive fracture study of the fabricated composites was also performed. The tensile fractures were shown to be mixed-mode fractures (i.e., ductile and cleavage). The fractured surface also disclosed tiny dimples, micro-crack, and cleavage fractures which increases with increasing reinforcement. For the compression fracture, the surface microstructural studies of AZ91 displayed major shear failure and demonstrated the greater shear bands when compared to AZ91/SiC composites, which instead revealed rough fracture surfaces with mixed-mode brittle and shear features.
Keywords: AZ91; SiC; magnesium alloy; mechanical characterization; metal matrix composites.