The Effect of Weight Fraction on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Aluminum–Cast Iron Slag Composites
Received: 14 March 2025 | Revised: 29 April 2025 and 20 May 2025 | Accepted: 21 May 2025 | Online: 2 August 2025
Corresponding author: Triyono
Abstract
In the automotive industry, aluminum pistons have a limited lifespan and eventually turn into waste once they are no longer functional. Addressing the challenge of aluminum piston waste requires innovative recycling and utilization strategies. This study explores the potential of combining two waste materials, aluminum piston waste and cast-iron slag, to create Aluminum Matrix Composites (AMCs) with superior mechanical properties. To ensure uniform matrix properties, aluminum pistons from various sources were remelted into ingots before being used for composite fabrication. The AMCs were produced using the stir casting method, with cast-iron slag added as reinforcement at weight fractions of 0%, 1%, 2%, and 3%. The resulting AMCs were assessed for their microstructure, hardness, tensile strength, and corrosion resistance. The findings showed that increasing the slag content improved the particle distribution, refined the grain size, and significantly increased the hardness from 74.33 HV at 0% slag to 427.28 HV at 3% slag. The tensile strength also increased from 105 MPa with 0% slag to 245 MPa with 3% slag, although the elongation decreased from 12.5% to 5.3%. The SEM analysis revealed a transition in fracture morphology from brittle to more ductile characteristics at higher slag fractions, indicating enhanced matrix-reinforcement bonding. Furthermore, the corrosion rate declined from 0.72659 mm/year at 0% slag to 0.20 mm/year at 3% slag.
Keywords:
aluminum matrix composites, piston waste, cast iron slag, stir casting, mechanical properties, corrosion rateDownloads
References
C. Saravanan, K. Subramanian, V. A. Krishnan, and S. R. Narayanan, "Effect of Particulate Reinforced Aluminium Metal Matrix Composite," Mechanics and Mechanical Engineering, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 23–30, 2015.
J. Liu et al., "Enhancement of fiber–matrix adhesion in carbon fiber reinforced Al-matrix composites with an optimized electroless plating process," Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, vol. 142, Mar. 2021, Art. no. 106258. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesa.2020.106258
N. Ashrafi, A. H. M. Ariff, M. Sarraf, S. Sulaiman, and T. S. Hong, "Microstructural, thermal, electrical, and magnetic properties of optimized Fe3O4–SiC hybrid nano filler reinforced aluminium matrix composite," Materials Chemistry and Physics, vol. 258, Jan. 2021, Art. no. 123895. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matchemphys.2020.123895
B. Park, D. Lee, I. Jo, S. B. Lee, S. K. Lee, and S. Cho, "Automated quantification of reinforcement dispersion in B4C/Al metal matrix composites," Composites Part B: Engineering, vol. 181, Jan. 2020, Art. no. 107584. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesb.2019.107584
A. Manna, H. S. Bains, and P. B. Mahapatra, "Experimental study on fabrication of Al—Al2O3/Grp metal matrix composites," Journal of Composite Materials, vol. 45, no. 19, pp. 2003–2010, Sep. 2011. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0021998310394691
U. Aybarc, D. Dispinar, and M. O. Seydibeyoglu, "Aluminum Metal Matrix Composites with SiC, Al2O3 and Graphene – Review," Archives of Foundry Engineering, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 5–10, May 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24425/122493
R. K. Yajjala, N. M. Inampudi, and B. R. Jinugu, "Correlation between SDAS and mechanical properties of Al–Si alloy made in Sand and Slag moulds," Journal of Materials Research and Technology, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 6257–6267, May 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmrt.2020.02.066
A. Pribulová, P. Futáš, M. Bartošová, and J. Petrík, "Utilization of Slags from Foundry Process," Journal of Casting & Materials Engineering, vol. 1, no. 4, pp. 103–103, 2017. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7494/jcme.2017.1.4.103
M. Chen, P. Wen, C. Wang, Z. Chai, and Z. Gao, "Evaluation of particle size distribution and mechanical properties of mineral waste slag as filling material," Construction and Building Materials, vol. 253, Aug. 2020, Art. no. 119183. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2020.119183
I. Narasimha Murthy and J. Babu Rao, "Investigations on Physical and Chemical Properties of High Silica Sand, Fe-Cr Slag and Blast Furnace Slag for Foundry Applications," Procedia Environmental Sciences, vol. 35, pp. 583–596, Jan. 2016. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proenv.2016.07.045
S. Thirumalvalavan and N. Senthilkumar, "Evaluation of mechanical properties of aluminium alloy (LM25) reinforced with fused silica metal matrix composite," Indian Journal of Engineering and Materials Sciences, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 59–66, 2019.
A. Arifin, Gunawan, I. Yani, M. Yanis, and R. Pradifta, "Optimization of Stir Casting Method of Aluminum Matrix Composite (AMC) for the Hardness Properties by Using Taguchi Method," Jurnal Kejuruteraan, vol. 29, no. 1, pp. 35–39, 2017. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17576/jkukm-2017-29(1)-05
M. Kök, "Abrasive wear of Al2O3 particle reinforced 2024 aluminium alloy composites fabricated by vortex method," Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, vol. 37, no. 3, pp. 457–464, Mar. 2006. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesa.2005.05.038
S. Tzamtzis, N. S. Barekar, N. Hari Babu, J. Patel, B. K. Dhindaw, and Z. Fan, "Processing of advanced Al/SiC particulate metal matrix composites under intensive shearing – A novel Rheo-process," Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, vol. 40, no. 2, pp. 144–151, Feb. 2009. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesa.2008.10.017
J. Jiang, G. Chen, and Y. Wang, "Compression Mechanical Behaviour of 7075 Aluminium Matrix Composite Reinforced with Nano-sized SiC Particles in Semisolid State," Journal of Materials Science & Technology, vol. 32, no. 11, pp. 1197–1203, Nov. 2016. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmst.2016.01.015
S. A. Kareem et al., "Aluminium matrix composites reinforced with high entropy alloys: A comprehensive review on interfacial reactions, mechanical, corrosion, and tribological characteristics," Journal of Materials Research and Technology, vol. 30, pp. 8161–8186, May 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmrt.2024.05.153
K. Adiga, M. A. Herbert, S. S. Rao, and A. Shettigar, "Applications of reinforcement particles in the fabrication of Aluminium Metal Matrix Composites by Friction Stir Processing - A Review," Manufacturing Review, vol. 9, 2022, Art. no. 26. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1051/mfreview/2022025
A. S. Alghamdi, M. Ramadan, K. S. A. Halim, and N. Fathy, "Microscopical Characterization of Cast Hypereutectic Al-Si Alloys Reinforced with Graphene Nanosheets," Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 2514–2519, Feb. 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.48084/etasr.1795
A.-G. Schiopu, B. M. Girish, B. M. Satish, and S. Shubha, "Wear and Hardness Characterisation of Hot Forged Tungsten Carbide reinforced Aluminium 6061 Composite Materials," Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 12688–12693, Feb. 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.48084/etasr.6659
Downloads
How to Cite
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Lutiyatmi, Eko Surojo, Nurul Muhayat, Muizuddin Azka, Triyono
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain the copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) after its publication in ETASR with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
