Effect of Tungsten Carbide Reinforcement on the Aluminum 6061 Alloy

Aluminum matrix composites are often preferred in automotive, aerospace, and ship building owing to their enhanced properties over conventional engineering aluminum alloys. In this article, the results of the investigations on the mechanical properties and sliding wear behavior of aluminum–tungsten carbide (WC) composites are presented and discussed. Metal matrix composites of Al6061 containing different percentages of WC were prepared by powder metallurgy techniques. All testing was conducted according to ASTM standards. The dry sliding wear tests were conducted at a constant velocity and load varying from 10 to 40 N. The composite density was found to increase with greater filler contents and is further in agreement with the values of theoretical density. The Brinell hardness and ultimate tensile strength of the composites increased with a greater ceramic phase and decreased filler size, with a decrease of percentage elongation. The dry sliding wear of the composites with WC reinforcement displayed the greater resistance to wear.