A Study on the Aging Behavior of Al6061 Composites Reinforced with Y2O3 and TiC

The reinforcement particles play important roles in determining microstructural development and properties of Al6061 composites. In the present work, the aging behavior of Al6061 reinforced with Y2O3 and TiC particles produced via mechanical alloying are investigated. The results indicate that the peak-aged Al6061 alloy without reinforcement demonstrates the highest hardness, which corresponds to the formation of the Mg–Si precipitates. However, precipitation formation is not observed in the case of the Al6061 composites, which can be attributed to the fact that the Mg–Si clusters and GP zones are inhibited by the presence of the reinforcement particles. The solute elements segregate in the complex oxides or carbides and contribute to only a slight increase in hardness