Corrosion Properties of Aluminium 7075 Basalt Particulate Reinforced Metal Matrix Composite Prepared by Stir Casting

Basalt-based products are known to provide substantial wear and corrosion resistance even in harsh environments. This paper aims to explore the stir casting technique as an efficient way to reinforce basalt particulates into Aluminium (AA7075). The properties such as hardness, ultimate tensile strength with corrosion behaviour of the composites were evaluated and compared with as-cast AA7075 fabricated under the same conditions. It is evident from the results that an increase in basalt particulate content significantly increases the ultimate tensile strength of 216 MPa and hardness of 123 VHN. The mechanism of bonding between basalt particulate and aluminum alloy at the interface was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). AA7075 matrix composites exhibited better corrosion resistance and they showed enhancement in thermal and mechanical properties.