Mechanical and Microstructures Investigation of Stir Casted Aluminium Alloy 8011-Graphene Composites

This study investigated experimentally the microstructural and mechanical properties of Aluminium Alloy 8011 (AA8011)/Graphene nano-platelets composites. AA8011/Graphene composites with nano-platelets content ranges from 0.5 to 2 weight (wt.) % were manufactured by stir casting process. The test results revealed that compared to pure AA8011 matrix, AA8011/0.5 wt. % Graphene composite had better mechanical properties such as tensile strength and hardness. Micrographic/Fractography analysis by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis confirm that uniform distribution of Graphene in AA8011 matrix and low porosity in the microstructure lead a substantial improvement in mechanical properties such as tensile strength and micro hardness of AA8011/0.5 wt. % Graphene composite compared to other AA8011/Graphene composites prepared with different weight percentages.