Characterization of Friction Stir Processed Aluminum-Graphene Nanoplatelets Composites

The present study deals with the investigation on microstructural and mechanical properties of friction stir processed (FSPed) pure Aluminum (Al)-Graphene Nanoplatelets (GNPs) composites. Composite specimens such as castings were made by blending 0.5 wt.%, 1.0 wt.%, 1.5 wt.%, and 2.0 wt.% of GNPs in pure Al matrix using the ultrasonic-assisted stir casting technique (UASCT). Also for enhancement of mechanical properties via grain refinement the friction stir processing (FSP) has been employed, as well as mechanical properties like tensile strength and microhardness were evaluated. Moreover, the microstructural analysis were done using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) examination were also performed for inspecting the changes occurred during synthesis of the fabricated composites after FSP. After FSP, the experimental studies exposed that a uniform plastic deformation of GNPs in the pure Al matrix was achieved with less porosity that is leading to increment in mechanical properties with 11.26% enhancement in tensile strength and 12.17% enhancement in microhardness and thereby proves its potential for diverse engineering applications.