Archives of Civil and Mechanical Engineering (2020) 20:71

https://doi.org/10.1007/s43452-020-00071-9

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Study of the microstructure and mechanical characteristics

of AZ91–SiCp composites fabricated by stir casting
Bassiouny Saleh1,2 · Jinghua Jiang1 · Reham Fathi1 · Qiong Xu1 · Lisha Wang1 · Aibin Ma1,3

Received: 24 March 2020 / Revised: 26 April 2020 / Accepted: 21 May 2020 / Published online: 9 June 2020
© Wroclaw University of Science and Technology 2020

Abstract
In recent years, the composite materials have been very desirable by researchers for many engineering applications such
as aviation and biomedical because of the tremendous characteristics of magnesium matrix metal composite. This current
investigation aims to develop the AZ91/SiCp composites with various weight fractions (0, 2.5, 5 and 10 wt%) of silicon
carbide particles via the stir casting method. The effect of SiC particles content on microstructure, mechanical and wear
behaviour was investigated. The optical microscope, scanning electron microscopy and EDX analyses were utilized to
detect the distribution of hard particles as well as the interface between the alloy and particles. Based on the findings, the
homogeneous distribution of particles, refinement of grains in addition to good bonding between AZ91 alloy and particles
have been achieved in produced composites. Therefore, the mechanical characteristics and wear performance are improved
in composites compared with the unreinforced alloy. Moreover, these results suggest that for applications demanding high
mechanical properties and wear resistance the AZ91/SiCp will be effective composites.

Keywords Metal matrix composites · AZ91 alloy · SiC particles · Grain refinement · Wear · Stir casting technique

1 Introduction applications in recent years [1]. Moreover, they are well

known for their extensive fields in engineering applications
Due to its tremendous characteristics, including low den- like automotive, aerospace and biomedical [2]. Although
sity and low cost and high strength to weight ratio, magne- magnesium alloys have good properties, they are not very
sium alloys have drawn designers and producers in many useful in wear and corrosion applications. Because of wear
and corrosion properties of engineering materials have a
major effect on components operability and durability and
* Bassiouny Saleh must consider their wear and corrosion properties in the
bassiouny.saleh@hhu.edu.cn design of engineering parts [3]. Metal matrix composites
* Jinghua Jiang (MMCs) have recently become important to enhance the
jinghua‑jiang@hhu.edu.cn mechanical and wear performance of magnesium alloys via
Reham Fathi developing the homogenous structure with refining grains
reham.fathy@hhu.edu.cn [4, 5]. MMCs are extremely hard, abrasion resistance and
Qiong Xu mostly lightweighted [6]. These composites also have very
xuqiong@hhu.edu.cn high strength, corrosion resistance, wear resistance, fatigue
Lisha Wang resistance, stiffness etc. [7]. MMCs are a combination of
lisawangzf@163.com two or more materials (including metal or alloyed) in which
Aibin Ma homogenous combinations of different components to
aibin‑ma@hhu.edu.cn achieve specific properties that cannot be obtained in pure
1 metals or alloys [8]. Generally, MMCs consist of fibres,
College of Mechanics and Materials, Hohai University, West
Focheng Road‑8, Jiangning District, Nanjing 211100, China whiskers or particles dispersed in a metallic matrix [9].
2 There are many production methods to manufacture MMCs
Production Engineering Department, Alexandria University,
Alexandria 21544, Egypt like stir casting, centrifugal casting [10, 11], powder metal-
3 lurgy, compo-casting, infiltration, squeeze casting [12] and
Suqian Institute, Hohai University, Suqian 223800, China

13
Vol.:(0123456789)
71 Page 2 of 14
many other production techniques [13, 14]. Although many
production methods exist, powder metallurgy and stir casting
are the dominant methods in the production of MMCs [15].
Several studies have been made in recent years with alumin-
ium matrix composites (AMCs) along with few experiments
with magnesium metal matrix composites (Mg-MMCs)
[16–19]. The particles such as SiC, A ­ l2O3, ­B4C, ­ZrO2 are
the most common ceramic reinforcements of the aluminium
and magnesium matrices [20, 21]. The greatest focus was on
studying the influences of particles on the microstructure,
mechanical performance and wear resistance [22, 23].
Poddar et al. [24] developed and studied the influence of
particle sizes (with average size 15 and 150 µm) on mechani-
cal performance of the AZ91 alloy reinforced with 15 vol%
of ­SiCp via the stir casting technique. The microstructure
analysis and mechanical performance of AZ91/SiCp com-
posites indicated homogeneity of particles distribution
within the matrix in case of small particle size (15 µm).
Therefore, the properties of composites improved compared
with AZ91 alloy. In another study, Babu and Moorthy [25]
examined the mechanical characteristics of the Al 7075
alloy reinforced with three various weight fractions (3, 6 and
9 wt%) of SiC particles developed by the stir casting process.
They found that the mechanical performance of the produced
composites increases with the increase in the content of hard
particles, while Kumar et al. [26] examined the mechani-
cal performance and wear resistance of AZ91matrix alloy
reinforced with S ­ iCp developed via the stir casting method.
Five weight fractions of particles with a size of 23 μm were
used to fabricate the composites. According to results, as the
weight fraction of hard particles increased, the mechanical
performance wear resistance improved. Moreover, owing to
the existence of hard particles, there was a refinement of
matrix grains. In another related work, Bhushan and Kumar
[27] developed the Al 7075/SiCp composites via the stir
casting process in order to examine the microstructure and
mechanical performance. The average size of a hard parti-
cle was 20–40 µm with 10 wt%. The microstructure results
for Al 7075-SiCp composites show a consistent SiC particle
distribution inside Al7075 alloy. In addition to the mechani-
cal performance was enhanced compared to matrix alloy. In
another research, Aravindan et al. [28] examined the influ-
ence of particle parameters (size and volume fraction) on
the microstructure and mechanical performance of AZ91D
reinforced with silicon carbide prepared by the stir casting
approach. The micro-hardness and strength behaviours of
produced composites with the different volume fraction of
silicon carbide particles (5, 10, 15 and 20 vol%) and two-
particle sizes (32 and 105 μm) were studied. Findings indi-
cated that the mechanical characteristics of the AZ91D/SiCp
composites improve compared to matrix alloy. Moreover, the
performance of composites increases with an increasing vol-
ume fraction of particles but reduces with increasing particle
13
Archives of Civil and Mechanical Engineering (2020) 20:71
size. In another related work, Baradeswaran and Perumal
[29] examined the effect of four various weight fractions (5,
10, 15 and 20 wt%) of B ­ 4C particles on wear and mechani-
cal performance for Al 7075/B4C composites obtained via
stir casting process. The micro-hardness and tensile strength
behaviours of composites were investigated with different
weight fraction of particles as well as wear rate. Based on
their results, the mechanical and wear performance of the
Al 7075/B4C composite improves compared to the Al 7075
alloy.
In another related study, Rajesh et al. [30] fabricated
and studied the mechanical and thermal performance of the
Al alloy reinforced with two various weight fractions (10
and 15 wt%) of SiC particles with average size 20–40 µm
obtained through the stir casting process. The microstructure
analysis of Al alloy/SiCp composites indicated homogeneity
of particles distribution within the matrix. Therefore, the
properties of composites improved compared with Al 7075
alloy. In another related work, Viswanath et al. [31] fabri-
cated the AZ91/SiCp composites via the stir casting process
to study the influence of hard particles inside AZ91matrix
alloy on microstructure, mechanical and creep behaviour.
The experimental findings indicated that the homogeneous
in the S­ iCp distribution within the composites improved the
mechanical performance and the creep behaviour compared
to AZ91 alloy. In another related research, Mohammadi et al.
[32] examined the influence of four various weight frac-
tions (1, 3, 5 and 7 wt%) of ­B4C particles on tensile and
compressive properties for AZ91/B4C composites obtained
via the stir casting method. Results showed that the com-
pressive strength improves but tensile strength and elonga-
tion decrease with increasing content of hard particles in
the AZ91 alloy, while Kumar et al. [33] prepared Al 7075-
SiCp composites to examine its mechanical and wear prop-
erties via liquid metallurgy method. Three different weight
fractions of silicon carbide particles (2, 4 and 6 wt%) were
investigated. The hardness results show that adding SiC con-
tents increases hardness value by 62% compared with matrix
alloy. Moreover, findings showed that the wear performance
of the Al 7075-SiC composites enhances compared to Al
7075 alloy. Recently, Huang and Abbas [34] fabricated
and evaluated the mechanical performance of AZ91/tung-
sten disulphide ­(WS2) composites through the stir casting
method. Three weight fractions 0.3, 0.6 and 1 wt% of W ­ S2
particles with an average size of 2 μm were used to pro-
duce the composites. The experimental results indicated an
enhancement in hardness and ultimate tensile strength for
AZ91/1 wt% ­WS2 particles by 9.15% and 14.876%, respec-
tively, compared to matrix alloy. Moreover, owing to the
existence of ­WS2 particles, there was a refinement of matrix
grains.
It is evident from the above analysis that there is only
a little information available up to date that describes the
Archives of Civil and Mechanical Engineering (2020) 20:71 Page 3 of 14 71

influence of weight fraction of hard particles on grain
refinement of the AZ91 matrix alloy. Besides, the above
review revealed that the magnesium composites had higher
mechanical properties than the magnesium Alloys. Nev-
ertheless, the development of magnesium composite with
enhanced mechanical properties and wear resistance as
well as improved particle distribution may be of research
interest. Therefore, the current research aims to enhance the
mechanical characteristics and wear performance of stir cast
composites based on AZ91 alloy through the incorporating
as reinforcement of SiC particles for automotive and aero-
space applications. There is also a description of the relation
between the particle distribution, refinement of matrix grains
and mechanical behaviour of the AZ91/SiCp composites.
2 Experimental methodology
In this work, the experimental methodology consists of three
stages: the preparation stage, the fabrication stage, and the
testing stage, and these stages are described in this section.
2.1 Material selection
high damping capacity. Owing to its high hardness and wear
resistance, the composites were reinforced with silicon car-
bide particles ­(SiCp) of an average 10 μm size, as shown in
Fig. 1. Three weight fractions (2.5, 5, 10 wt%) of particles
were used as reinforcement for the present study in the AZ91
matrix alloy. Tables 1 and 2 indicate the chemical composi-
tions of AZ91 magnesium alloy and SiC particles given by
the suppliers.
2.2 Composite fabrication
In the current research, the AZ91/SiCp composites were pro-
duced via stir casting technique. The homogenous composite
was manufactured in several steps. The first step was melting
of AZ91 matrix alloy, and at the same time, the hard parti-
cles were heated at 250 °C to enhance wettability between
the AZ91 alloy and the S ­ iCp. The second step was to add the
SiC particles to the molten metal and then start the stirring
process between the molten metal and particles at 300 rpm
for 10 min. Then the final step was to pour the homogenous
composite into a preheated steel die (400 °C) with dimen-
sions 200 mm × 150 mm × 40 mm to obtain the samples
required for the microstructure, mechanical and wear tests.

In this research, AZ91 magnesium alloy was chosen as the
matrix material for composites development via the stir
casting technique, as it is used commonly for automotive
components, aircraft, marine machinery and structural parts.
Moreover, this alloy has enormous characteristics such as
low density, high faradic power, excellent castability and
2.3 Microstructure characterization
The samples with dimensions 20 mm × 20 mm × 2 mm were
cut by electrical discharge machining from the homogenous
AZ91/SiCp composites in order to study the microstructure.
The samples were polished in order to avoid thin scratches

Fig. 1  a SEM image of particles

and b particle size distribution
of ­SiCp

Table 1  Chemical composition Elements Al Zn Mn Cu Si Fe Ni Mg

of matrix alloy used in this
study wt% 8.9 0.65 0.26 0.03 0.009 0.005 0.002 Remaining

Table 2  Typical composition of Elements SiO2 Si C Fe Al Other SiC

SiC particles used in this study
wt% 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.08 0.01 0.21 98.6

13
71 Page 4 of 14
and etched for 5 s with the acetic-picric solution before anal-
ysis. Microstructure analysis of the produced homogenous
composite was analysed using the optical microscope (OM,
Olympus BX51 M) to show the distribution of ­SiCp inside
AZ91 matrix alloy. The morphologies of the wear surface
and tensile fractured surface were evaluated through a field
emission scanning electron microscope (SEM, Sirion 200).
In order to measure the matrix grain refinement due to par-
ticles, the Image J program was used.
2.4 Density and porosity evaluation
The density variation affects the composite characteris-
tics and is highly reliant on the matrix alloy and reinforc-
ing material. The densities of produced composites were
calculated in order to determine the porosity level due to
the influence of the weight fraction of SiC particles on the
densities of the composites. The rule of the mixture and
the Archimedes principle were used to determine the differ-
ence in density between theoretical and experimental values.
Next, the porosity of the AZ91/SiCp was obtained through
taking an average of three samples.
2.5 Mechanical properties evaluation
2.5.1 Hardness test
The Vickers micro-hardness test was carried out on samples
of cast AZ91/SiCp composites with different weight frac-
tions. The digital hardness testing machine (HXD-1000TM/
LCD) was used with a diamond indenter at an applied load
of 100gf with a dwelling period of 15 s. Ten points have
been chosen for hardness measurements to determine the
average values.
2.5.2 Compression test
The compression test samples were cut and prepared from
produced composites in compliance with the ASTM E9
standard. Compression tests were conducted with the uni-
versal testing machine (Model: UTM4294X) at 25 °C with
Fig. 2  Schematic drawing of
dimensions for a compression
test sample and b tensile test
sample
13
Archives of Civil and Mechanical Engineering (2020) 20:71
a strain rate of 5 × 10−4 s−1. The samples of 8 mm diameter
and 12 mm height were prepared for the compressive test,
as seen in Fig. 2a. Three compressive samples were exam-
ined, and the average value of the compressive strength was
obtained.
2.5.3 Tensile test
The tensile test was prepared according to ASTM E8M on
the Universal tensile testing machine (Model: UTM4294X)
on both AZ91 alloy and composites to check the distribution
of reinforcement particles. The tensile test was conducted
with a strain rate of 5 × 10−4 s−1 at 25 °C. Figure 2b shows
the tensile test sample of MMC with the dimensions used.
Three tensile samples were examined, and the average value
of the strength was obtained.
2.6 Wear evaluation
For dry sliding wear test, a pin-on-disc wear test equipment
(TR-20, DUCOM) was used according to ASTM: G99-05
standard. Specimens of the dimensions of 20 × 20 × 2 mm3
were tested with the hardened steel (63 HRC) rotating disc.
The counter surface disc was made of steel EN31 with a
diameter of 200 mm and a thickness of 15 mm. The wear
testing was performed on a track of 150 mm diameter for
a duration of 5 min at room temperature under varying
applied loads and sliding speeds. Before wear testing, all
the specimens were polished with 600#, 800#, 1000#, 1200#
and 1500# abrasive papers, and were cleaned and dried
using cotton and acetone. Also, before each test, the 800
# and 1200 # abrasive papers were used to polish the disc
for several minutes in order to remove debris on the wear
track, followed by cleaning with cotton and alcohol. The
specimens were properly cleaned with alcohol at the end of
each wear test and weighed with an accurate digital balance
at 0.0001 g. During the wear experiment, the weight loss
was measured in order to determine the wear rate. Figure 3
shows the manufacturing and experimental phases used in
this study.
Archives of Civil and Mechanical Engineering (2020) 20:71
Fig. 3  Schematic diagram of the
present work stages a prepara-
tion stage, b fabrication stage
and c testing stage
3 Results and discussions
3.1 Microstructure evaluation
Figure 4 displays the optical microstructures of the AZ91
alloy and the AZ91/SiCP composites with various content
of ceramic particles (2.5, 5 and 10 wt%). The micrographs
show the homogeneous distribution of SiC particles in the
AZ91 matrix achieved due to uniform stirring action. The
unreinforced sample (AZ91 alloy) composed three constitu-
tions, namely α-Mg phase, eutectic α + β mixture and inter-
metallic β-Mg17Al12 phase, which precipitate mostly over
grain boundaries, as shown in Fig. 4a. Partially deposited
the β-Mg17Al12 phase as a result of partially dissolved alu-
minium in the matrix of a solid solution of magnesium-rich
[18, 35]. The microstructures for AZ91/SiCP reveals that
the particles are spread even-handled more separately in the
base metal with very little agglomeration in case of high-
est weight fraction (10 wt%), as seen in Fig. 4b–d. In fact,
the homogenous distribution can be controlled by choos-
ing a comparatively smaller size of the ceramic particle as
well as selecting appropriate parameters including pouring
Page 5 of 14 71
temperature, stirring time, stirring speed, and stirring tem-
perature, based on the findings obtained from Fig. 4 and
previous studies [24, 34]. In addition, reinforcement distri-
bution is the key factor influencing the consistency of the
produced composites and thus influences the properties.
Figure 5a–d shows the SEM of manufactured AZ91 alloy
reinforced with various content of ­SiCp composites as well
as AZ91 matrix alloy. By increasing the weight fraction of
particles from 2.5 to 10 wt% in AZ91 alloy, the homogene-
ous dispersion of S­ iCp was achieved due to uniform stirring
action, as shown in Fig. 5a–d. In AZ91/10 wt%SiCP, as seen
in Fig. 5d, the few agglomerations of SiC particles can be
observed. It was also noticed that there was no presence of
slag or oxide in the AZ91/SiCp composites. The results of
the SEM are similar to those of other researchers [28]. Add-
ing SiC particles can be observed as having a significant
influence on grain size refining. The average size grain of
reinforced composites Fig. 5b, c is obviously refined in com-
parison to the as-cast alloying AZ91 Fig. 5a with the ­SiCP
weight fraction rising from 0 to 10 wt%. The primary causes
for refinement of AZ91/SiCP composites, the hard particles
can serve as nucleation points during solidification and, by
13
71 Page 6 of 14
Fig. 4  Microstructures of AZ91/
SiCP composite a 0 wt%, b
2.5 wt%, c 5 wt% and d 10 wt%
stimulation of nucleation at the interfaces of the matrix and
reinforcing particles in the casting, SiC particles can contrib-
ute to matrix recrystallization. Furthermore, the addition of
SiC particles may limit grain growth as the weight fraction
of particles increases. Additionally, the fine grain size of
the AZ91 composites results in an increased grain bound-
ary, which increases the quantity of material that can spread
rapidly along the grain boundary [24].
Figure 5e, f describes the EDS patterns of AZ91 alloy
and AZ91/2.5 wt% ­SiCP composite, respectively, in order to
determine the specimen elements. The location of the peaks
assists in defining the elements, and the maximum height
contributes to the quantification of the concentration of each
element in the sample. The EDS pattern of Fig. 5e shows the
AZ91 matrix alloy. Clear peaks of Mg and Al of AZ91 alloy
were detected. The EDS pattern of Fig. 5f contains Mg, Al,
Si, and C, thus suggesting it as AZ91/SiCp composite.
The Image J software has been used to determine the
refining in the matrix structure of AZ91 alloy due to adding
of SiC particles. Figure 6 displays the average frequency
of grain size for AZ91 alloy and AZ91/SiCp composites
depending on the findings from Image J software. On the
basis of statistical analysis, the average grain size of AZ91
alloy was around 143 μm, while for composites with weight
fraction 2.5, 5 and 10 wt% was approximately 105, 88 and
80 μm, respectively. Therefore, the addition of the ceramic
particles reduces the grain size of the matrix dramatically
13
Archives of Civil and Mechanical Engineering (2020) 20:71
in the AZ91/SiCP composite. The grain refinement in the
matrix is mainly due to the heterogeneous nucleation of
the primary phase of Mg. Also, it indicates clearly that
fine grains improved the mechanical and wear performance
of manufactured composites. The grain refinement of the
matrix in the composite is equivalent to the results obtained
by other researchers at different weight fractions [26, 31].
3.2 Density and porosity
The SiC particles exhibit significant variability in mechani-
cal characteristics for the composites in the present study.
The variation in density influences the composite charac-
teristics which rely strongly on matrix relationships and the
material for reinforcement. Table 3 presents the difference
between experimental and theoretical densities as well as
porosity values for AZ91 alloy and AZ91/SiCp composites.
The findings presented that the experimental and theoreti-
cal densities of the composites increased compared to the
base matrix densities by increasing the content of particles.
The rise in the experimental density is attributed to the uni-
form distribution of particles in the AZ91 alloy due to the
stirring parameters. Figure 7 displays differences in experi-
mental density and porosity of produced composites with
the different weight fractions of SiC particles. The com-
posite with a 0 wt% of ­SiCP has an experimental density of
1.804 g/cm3 (0.331492% porosity), which rises to 1.846 g/
Archives of Civil and Mechanical Engineering (2020) 20:71
Fig. 5  SEM images of AZ91/
SiCp composites a AZ91/0 wt%
­SiCP, b AZ91/2.5 wt%
­SiCp, c AZ91/5 wt% S ­ iCP, d
AZ91/10 wt% ­SiCP composite,
e EDX of (a) and (f) EDX of (b)
cm3 (2.438973% porosity), when the content of particles
is increased to 10 wt%. Although porosity increases with
increasing the content of particles, as shown in Fig. 7, it sub-
stantially increases with a higher rate in the case of 10 wt%
of particles, the reason is due to the presence of agglomera-
tions of the particles, as shown in Fig. 4d. In stir casting
method, porosity cannot be absolutely prevented but can be
regulated. Nevertheless, the porosity of less than 4% was
confirmed in MMCs to be appropriate [34].
3.3 Mechanical behaviour
Previous studies show that the existence of particles in the
matrix improves the mechanical characteristics considerably.
Page 7 of 14 71
Although the increased weight fraction of hard particles in
matrix alloy led to increasing porosity, it improves mechan-
ical characteristics by the strong bonding, which helps
strengthen composites. In the next sub-sections, the results
of hardness, compressive and tensile tests will be discussed.
3.3.1 Hardness evaluation
Material hardness is a fundamental characteristic that
expresses the mechanical properties of surface behaviour.
Figure 8 displays the variation of micro-hardness with dif-
ferent content of particles for produced composites and
unenhanced alloy. It was observed the Vickers hardness
performance is improved by 13.21%, 23.08% and 28.40%
13
71 Page 8 of 14 Archives of Civil and Mechanical Engineering (2020) 20:71

Fig. 6  Influence of SiC particles content on the average grain size (μm) a AZ91/0 wt%, b AZ91/2.5 wt%, c AZ91/5 wt%, d AZ91/10 wt% of
­SiCp

Table 3  Effect of particle weight fraction on density and porosity

Material Experimental Theoretical Porosity (%)
density (g/cm3) density (g/
cm3)

AZ91/0 wt% ­SiCp 1.804 1.81 0.331492

AZ91/2.5 wt% ­SiCp 1.818 1.829 0.64906
AZ91/5 wt% ­SiCp 1.834 1.853 1.028088
AZ91/10 wt% ­SiCp 1.846 1.892 2.438973

for AZ91/SiCP composites for 2.5 wt%, 5 wt% and 10 wt%

of hard particles, respectively, compared with AZ91 matrix
alloy. This can be due to increased SiC particles, which
surrounded a softer and comparatively durable matrix and
can continue to withstand wear by preferring greater plastic Fig. 7  Effect of ­SiCp content on experimental density and porosity
behaviour. According to the results in Fig. 8, when AZ91
matrix alloy has Vickers hardness value of 66.3 Hv, hard-
ness value improves with rising content of SiC particles and times compare to matrix alloy. In addition to the refinement
maximum obtained hardness value is 92.6 Hv at 10 wt% of of grain size as shown in Fig. 8, the improvements in the
­SiCp. The higher reinforced composite (AZ91/10 wt% S ­ iCP) Vickers hardness of AZ91/SiCp composite are due to the soft
obtained the enhanced Vickers hardness rating of about 1.5 matrix hardening arising from hard particles and dislocation

13
Archives of Civil and Mechanical Engineering (2020) 20:71
Fig. 8  Variation of micro-hardness with grain size at different weight
fraction of particles
mobility obstruction by SiC particles. The hardness results
in this study are similar to that of other studies [24, 28].
3.3.2 Compressive evaluation
For the application of the composites the calculation of the
compressive strength which means that a substance is capa-
ble of axially resistance to pressing force without failure.
The mechanical evaluation in term of compression strength
for the produced AZ91/SiCp composites is shown in Fig. 9a.
The findings of the compression tests reveal that the ulti-
mate compression strength (UCS) improvers with increas-
ing content of ceramic particles in the composite, as shown
in Fig. 9a. The measured compressive strength of around
­ iCp content a on UCS, and b on YS, UTS and Elongation
Fig. 9  Effect of S
Page 9 of 14 71
310 MPa was obtained in the AZ91 matrix alloy, whereas
around 337 MPa was achieved in 10 wt% S ­ iCP reinforced
composite. The rise in UCS is mainly due to the strong rein-
forcing particle, which reduces the matrix flow. Moreover,
the degradation of the soft β-Mg17Al12 phases can enhanced
the compressive strength. The existence of β-Mg17Al12 was
reported to impair the mechanical characteristics of com-
posites based on magnesium alloys [34]. Furthermore, stress
transfer is performed by the interfaces in composites. There
were thus highly critical effects on the compressive prop-
erties of AZ91/SiCp composites from other features of the
system such as an interfacial reaction, resultant, interfacial
bond strength, dislocation. The UCS trend is equivalent to
the results obtained by other researchers at different weight
fractions [26, 32].
3.3.3 Tensile evaluation
Strength of the composite is determined by many factors
such as matrix type, weight fraction, size and type of parti-
cles as well as bonding characteristics between matrix and
particles. The increased tensile characteristics of composites
are usually increased by an increased particle reinforcement
due to the strength of the SiC particles. According to the
findings, there is a clear trend of enhancing yield strength
(YS) and the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) with increasing
the content of the SiC particles from 0 to 10 wt%. How-
ever, the presence of the hard particles inside the matrix
greatly significantly decreases the elongation (EL) to failure.
Figure 9b illustrates the influence of S­ iCp weight fraction
on YS, UTS and EL of both composite and matrix alloy.
In comparison to AZ91 matrix alloy, the AZ91/SiCP show
enhanced strength properties. At 0 wt% of particles, the
13
71 Page 10 of 14
measured strength values were 87 and 168 MPa for the
YS and UTS, respectively. While in the case of the highest
weight fraction of particles (10 wt%), the strength values
were 124 and 226 MPa for the YS and UTS, respectively, as
shown in Fig. 9b. The high tensile strength of the AZ91/SiCp
composites is attributed to the decreased grain size and the
inclusion of hardened particles that impede the dislocation
movement, which plays a more significant impact on the
enhancement of tensile strength. In another study, a similar
trend of results is observed [31].
On the contrary, increasing the content of particles
decreases the elongation of the AZ91/SiCp composites, as
seen in Fig. 9b. The elongation percentage of around 4.9%
was obtained in the AZ91 matrix alloy, whereas around
2.24% was achieved in 10 wt% S ­ iCp reinforced compos-
ite. The adding of particles probably overstrained the lat-
tice, and therefore the AZ91 matrix no longer had enough
stress energy to gain their ductility. Moreover, the increase
of weight fraction of SiC particles in the matrix results in
lower elongation value due to localized damage, such as
debonding interface and particle breaking. These findings
are consistent with the results previously shown in Fig. 4 for
the microstructure analysis. In another study, a similar trend
of findings is observed [28].
Valuable details on microstructural impacts on tensile
ductility and fracture characteristics of AZ91 matrix alloy
and AZ91/SiCp composites can be found at the fracture sur-
face of tensile specimens examined. Figure 10 presents the
SEM micrographs of the fracture behaviour of broken sur-
faces under tension test for the AZ91 matrix alloy and the
AZ91/5 wt% ­SiCp composite. The analysis indicates that
ductile (dimple) and brittle (cleavage) groups are mixed at
different zones on the fracture surfaces as shown in Fig. 10a.
The broken surface of AZ91/5 wt% ­SiCp composite indicates
a matrix cracks close to the hard particles, which leads to
the breakdown of composite and also to the particle debond-
ing as well as particle pullout from the matrix, as shown in
Fig. 10b. The grain refinement due to the SiC particles is
major responsible for the reduction in the size of the void
or dimple in the composite. In addition, there are no voids
Fig. 10  SEM of fracture surface
morphology under tension
tests a AZ91 alloy and b
AZ91/5 wt% SiC composite
13
Archives of Civil and Mechanical Engineering (2020) 20:71
surround the hard particles that confirmed the efficient bond-
ing in the produced composites [28].
Table 4 gives the percentage of enhancement in mechani-
cal performance of the AZ91/SiCp composites in compari-
son with the AZ91 matrix alloy. Based on the findings in
Table 3, the mechanical characteristics of composites are
enhanced considerably, with increasing the content of SiC
particles inside the matrix alloy. In general, enhancement of
the mechanical characteristics of composite materials relies
upon the three major phenomena: load-bearing strengthen-
ing, bowing of the dislocation (Orowan effect) and grain
refinement based on Hall–Petch effect as well as geometri-
cally required dislocations effect.
3.4 Wear behaviour
In general, the existence of SiC particles within the AZ91
matrix alloy contributed to a significant improves in the wear
resistance of manufactured composites. Figures 11 and 12
display a graph showing the influence of applied load and
sliding speed on variations of wear rate values of the as-
cast AZ91 alloy and AZ91/SiCp composites with various
content of SiC particles. It can be concluded that for all the
AZ91/SiCp composites tested, the wear loss increases with
rising applied loads, as shown in Fig. 11. At 0 wt% of par-
ticles, the wear rate values were 0.0046, 0.00402, 0.00354
and 0.00307 mm3/N.m for the 10, 20, 30 and 40 N, respec-
tively. While in the case of the highest weight fraction of
particles (10 wt%), the weight loss values were 0.00716,
Table 4  Mechanical properties improvement percentage relative to
AZ91 matrix Alloy
Material Extent of mechanical characteristics enhance-
ment over AZ91 alloy (%)
Micro-hardness Yield strength UTS UCS
AZ91/2.5 wt% ­SiCp 13.21 5.43 6.14 1.58
AZ91/5 wt% ­SiCp 23.08 26.89 10.16 3.72
AZ91/10 wt% ­SiCp 28.40 29.38 25.66 8.01
Archives of Civil and Mechanical Engineering (2020) 20:71
Fig. 11  Difference of wear rate with increase in applied loads for dif-
ferent weight fraction of particles
Fig. 12  Difference of wear rate with increase in sliding speed for var-
ious content of particles
0.00558, 0.00468 and 0.00392 mm3/N.m for 10, 20, 30 and
40 N, respectively. Also, it is inferred from Fig. 11 that the
wear resistance in the case of the AZ91 alloy decreases by a
greater rate relative to the manufactured composites with the
rise of the applied load and this is due to the presence of SiC
particles within the AZ91 alloy. The incremental decline in
the wear resistance with increasing sliding speed can be eas-
ily seen in Fig. 12. The enhancement in wear performance
with the rise in the weight fraction for the composites can
also be observed which is due to S ­ iCp reinforcements. The
wear rate of around 0.00704 mm3/N m was obtained in the
AZ91 matrix alloy, whereas around 0.00389 mm3/N m was
obtained in 10 wt% S ­ iCp reinforced composite at 400 rpm
Page 11 of 14 71
sliding speed. In another study, a similar trend of findings
is observed [26].
Figure 13 displays the 2-D Interaction diagram for AZ91
alloy and composites with wear testing parameters (load and
speed) and the weight fraction of particles against wear rate.
The response surfaces are useful for predicting the wear rate
in any sample within the range of wear testing parameters at
different weight fractions of particles. It can be inferred from
Fig. 13 that the wear rate of AZ91/SiCp composites reduces
with a rise in the load and speed of sliding but reduces with
increasing weight fraction of particles. Moreover, Fig. 13
indicates nonlinear growing contour lines that the wear rate
is a function of the weight fraction of particles, the influence
of sliding speed being strong eminent. This wear resistance
enhancement was due to the existence of more dislocations,
refinement of grain size, and effective bonding between
AZ91 matrix and SiC particles.
Surface morphology investigation has an important func-
tion to play in assessing the wear rate of composites at vari-
ous content of particles. Figure 14 shows the SEM images of
worn surfaces of AZ91/SiCp composites at different weight
fraction of particles. The AZ91 alloy shows more wear
and a rough surface with delamination and larger grooves
than composite, as shown in Fig. 14a. Moreover, the size
and number of grooves on the wear surface decrease as the
weight fraction of the particles increases, thereby reducing
the wear rate of composites, as seen in Fig. 14b–d. Based
on the findings in this study, the wear mechanisms were
abrasion and delamination wear due to the wear surface of
AZ91 alloy and composites exposed to plastic deformation,
delamination, grooves, debris, and micro-ploughing below
the sliding track during the wear test. This variation in wear
rate is connected with the results of mechanical characteris-
tics in the previous section.
4 Conclusions
In this study, the AZ91/SiCp composites were fabricated suc-
cessfully through the stir casting process. The microstruc-
tural characterizations, mechanical characteristics, and wear
behaviour with variations of test parameters had investigated
and reported. According to the results, the following conclu-
sions had drawn from this work:
1. In the microstructure analysis, the uniform distribution
of SiC particles in the matrix alloy and grain refine-
ment have been found, therefore the mechanical and
wear characteristics of the composites have already been
improved compared with the AZ91 matrix alloy.
2. The mechanical properties of AZ91/SiCp composites
were enhanced with an increase of weight fractions from
0 to 10 wt% of particles because of improvements in
13
71 Page 12 of 14 Archives of Civil and Mechanical Engineering (2020) 20:71

Fig. 13  Interaction plot between wear testing parameters and weight fraction against wear rate a at constant sliding speed 400 rpm, and b at con-
stant applied load 40 N

Fig. 14  SEM images of worn

surface morphology for a
AZ91/0 wt%, b AZ91/2.5 wt%,
c AZ91/5 wt%, d AZ91/10 wt%
of ­SiCp

matrix strength, dispersion reinforcement, and efficient resulting materials up to 28.40%, 29.38, 25.66, and 8.01
bonding respectively, compared to the unreinforced alloy.
3. The composites reinforced with 10 wt% of SiC particles 4. The wear performance of AZ91/SiCp composite was
enhanced the hardness, yield strength, UTS, and UCS of improving with increased the content of particles, but

13
Archives of Civil and Mechanical Engineering (2020) 20:71
with the increased load and sliding speed decreased.
Moreover, homogenous AZ91/10 wt% ­SiCp composites
offer excellent wear resistance compared to the AZ91
matrix alloy.
5. In general, the produced AZ91/SiCp composites have
superior mechanical and wear properties and are appro-
priate for applications such as automotive and aerospace
components that are demanding high mechanical charac-
teristics and wear resistance with homogenous proper-
ties.
Acknowledgements The study was supported by the National Natural
Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51774109 and 51979099),the
Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province of China (Grant No.
BK20191303), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Uni-
versities (Grant Nos. 2018B48414 and 2019B79814), Postgraduate
Education Reform Project of Jiangsu Province (JGLX19_027), The
Key Research and Development Project of Jiangsu Province of China
(Grant No. BE2017148).
References
1. Saleh B, Jiang J, Xu Q, Fathi R, Ma A, Li Y, Wang L. Statistical
analysis of dry sliding wear process parameters for AZ91 alloy
processed by RD-ECAP using response surface methodology. Met
Mater Int. 2020. https​://doi.org/10.1007/s1254​0-020-00624​-w.
2. Xu Q, Ma A, Li Y, Saleh B, Yuan Y, Jiang J. Enhancement of
mechanical properties and rolling formability in AZ91 alloy by
RD-ECAP processing. Materials (Basel). 2019;12:3503–15.
3. Wang L, Jiang J, Saleh B, et al. Controlling Corrosion Resistance
of a Biodegradable Mg–Y–Zn Alloy with LPSO Phases via Multi-
pass ECAP Process. Acta Metall. Sin. (Engl. Lett.) 2020. https​://
doi.org/10.1007/s4019​5-020-01042​-y.
4. Xu Q, Ma A, Saleh B, Li Y, Yuan Y, Jiang J, Ni C. Enhance-
ment of strength and ductility of SiCp/AZ91 composites by RD-
ECAP processing. Mater Sci Eng A. 2020;771:138579. https​://
doi.org/10.1016/j.msea.2019.13857​9.
5. Asgari A, Sedighi M, Krajnik P. Magnesium alloy-silicon car-
bide composite fabrication using chips waste. J Clean Prod.
2019;232:1187–94. https:​ //doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepr​ o.2019.06.018.
6. Raja MA, Manikandan V, Amuthakkannan P, Rajesh S. Wear
resistance of basalt particulate-reinforced stir-cast Al7075
metal matrix composites. J Aust Ceram Soc. 2017. https​://doi.
org/10.1007/s4177​9-017-0133-8.
7. Xiao P, Gao Y, Xu F, Yang C, Li Y, Liu Z, Zheng Q. Tribo-
logical behavior of in situ nanosized TiB2 particles reinforced
AZ91 matrix composite. Tribiol Int. 2018;128:130–9. https​://doi.
org/10.1016/j.tribo​int.2018.07.003.
8. El-Galy IM, Ahmed MH, Bassiouny BI. Characterization of func-
tionally graded Al-SiCp metal matrix composites manufactured
by centrifugal casting. Alex Eng J. 2017;56:371–81. https​://doi.
org/10.1016/j.aej.2017.03.009.
9. Kim C, Cho K, Manjili MH, Nezafati M. Mechanical performance
of particulate-reinforced Al metal-matrix composites (MMCs) and
Al metal-matrix nano-composites (MMNCs). J Mater Sci. 2017.
https​://doi.org/10.1007/s1085​3-017-1378-x.
10. Saleh B, Jiang J, Ma A, Song D, Yang D. Effect of main param-
eters on the mechanical and wear behaviour of functionally
graded materials by centrifugal casting: a review. Met Mater Int.
2019;25:1395–409. https:​ //doi.org/10.1007/s12540​ -019-00273-​ 8.
Page 13 of 14 71
11. Saleh B, Jiang J, Ma A, Song D, Yang D, Xu Q. Review on the
influence of different reinforcements on the microstructure and
wear behavior of functionally graded aluminum matrix com-
posites by centrifugal casting. Met Mater Int. 2019. https​://doi.
org/10.1007/s1254​0-019-00491​-0.
12. Ling Y, Hua H, Yuhong Z, Xiaomin Y. Microstructure and
mechanical properties of squeeze casting quasicrystal reinforced
AZ91D magnesium matrix composites. Rare Met Mater Eng.
2016;45:1978–82. https​://doi.org/10.1016/S1875​-5372(16)30157​
-6.
13. Kalkanlı A, Yılmaz S. Synthesis and characterization of aluminum
alloy 7075 reinforced with silicon carbide particulates. Mater Des.
2008;29:775–80. https​://doi.org/10.1016/j.matde​s.2007.01.007.
14. El-galy IM, Saleh BI, Ahmed MH. Functionally graded materials
classifications and development trends from industrial point of
view. SN Appl Sci. 2019;1:1–23. https​://doi.org/10.1007/s4245​
2-019-1413-4.
15. Hashim J, Looney L, Hashmi MSJ. Metal matrix composites:
production by the stir casting method. J Mater Process Technol.
1999;93:1–7.
16. Fathi R, Ma A, Saleh B, Xu Q, Jiang J. Investigation on mechani-
cal properties and wear performance of functionally graded AZ91-
SiCp composites via centrifugal casting. j.mtcomm. 2020. https:​ //
doi.org/10.1016/j.mtcom​m.2020.10116​9.
17. Yigezu BS, Jha PK, Mahapatra MM. The key attributes of syn-
thesizing ceramic particulate reinforced Al-based matrix compos-
ites through stir casting process: a review. Mater Manuf Process.
2013;28:969–79. https:​ //doi.org/10.1080/104269​ 14.2012.677909​ .
18. Prasanth S, Kaliamma K, Kumar A, Rajan TPD, Pillai UTS, Pai
BC. Microstructure and properties of stir cast AZ91 Mg alloy-
SiCp composites. Mater Sci Forum. 2012;710:365–70. https​://
doi.org/10.4028/www.scien​tific​.net/MSF.710.365.
19. Huang S, Chen Z. Grain refinement of AlNp/AZ91D magnesium
metal-matrix composites. Kov Mater. 2011;49:259–64.
20. Rahman MH, Rashed HM. Al: characterization of silicon car-
bide reinforced aluminum matrix composites. Procedia Eng.
2014;90:103–9. https​://doi.org/10.1016/j.proen​g.2014.11.821.
21. Saleh BI, Ahmed MH. Development of functionally graded tubes
based on pure Al/Al2O3 metal matrix composites manufactured
by centrifugal casting for automotive applications. Met Mater Int.
2019. https​://doi.org/10.1007/s1254​0-019-00391​-3.
22. Prasad VJ, Rao NM, Kamaluddin S. A study of microstructure
and tribological properties of stir cast Al metal matrix compos-
ite. Mater Today Proc. 2017;4:9264–71. https:​ //doi.org/10.1016/j.
matpr​.2017.07.286.
23. Zhu H, Jar C, Song J, Zhao J, Li J, Xie Z. High temperature dry
sliding friction and wear behavior of aluminum matrix compos-
ites ­(Al3Zr + a-Al2O3)/Al. Tribiol Int. 2012;48:78–86. https​://doi.
org/10.1016/j.tribo​int.2011.11.011.
24. Poddar P, Srivastava VC, Sahoo KL. Processing and mechanical
properties of SiC reinforced cast magnesium matrix composites
by stir casting process. Mater Sci Eng A. 2007;461:357–64. https​
://doi.org/10.1016/j.msea.2007.01.052.
25. Babu NV, Moorthy T. V: Synthesis and characterization of
Al7075/SiC composite by Stir casting. Appl Mech Mater.
2014;594:760–4. https​://doi.org/10.4028/www.scien​tific​.net/
AMM.592-594.760.
26. Kumar KKA, Viswanath A, Rajan TPD, Pillai UTS, Pai BC. Phys-
ical, mechanical, and tribological attributes of stir-cast AZ91/SiCp
composite. Acta Metall Sin (English Lett). 2014;27:295–305.
https​://doi.org/10.1007/s4019​5-014-0045-3.
27. Bhushan RK, Kumar S. Influence of SiC particles distribution and
their weight percentage on 7075 Al alloy. J Mater Eng Perform.
2011;20:317–23. https​://doi.org/10.1007/s1166​5-010-9681-6.
28. Aravindan S, Rao PV, Ponappa K. Evaluation of physical and
mechanical properties of AZ91D/SiC composites by two step
13
71 Page 14 of 14
stir casting process. J Magnes Alloy. 2015;3:52–62. https​://doi.
org/10.1016/j.jma.2014.12.008.
29. Baradeswaran A, Perumal AE. Influence of B4C on the tribo-
logical and mechanical properties of Al 7075-B4C composites.
Compos Part B. 2013;54:146–52. https:​ //doi.org/10.1016/j.compo​
sites​b.2013.05.012.
30. Bhushan RK, Kumar S, Das S. Fabrication and characteriza-
tion of 7075 Al alloy reinforced with SiC particulates. Int J Adv
Manuf Technol. 2015;65:611–24. https​://doi.org/10.1007/s0017​
0-012-4200-6.
31. Viswanath A, Dieringa H, Kumar KKA, Pillai UTS, Pai BC.
Investigation on mechanical properties and creep behavior of stir
cast AZ91-SiCp composites. J Magnes Alloy. 2015;3:16–22. https​
://doi.org/10.1016/j.jma.2015.01.001.
32. Mohammadi H, Emamy M, Hamnabard Z. The statistical analysis
of tensile and compression properties of the as-cast AZ91-X %
B4C composites. Int J Met. 2019. https​://doi.org/10.1007/s4096​
2-019-00377​-2.
33. Kumar GBV, Rao CS, Selvaraj N. Mechanical and dry sliding
wear behavior of Al7075 alloy-reinforced with SiC particles. J
13
Archives of Civil and Mechanical Engineering (2020) 20:71
Compos Mater. 2012;46:1–9. https:​ //doi.org/10.1177/002199​ 8311​
41494​8.
34. Huang S, Abbas A. Effects of tungsten disulfide on microstructure
and mechanical properties of AZ91 magnesium alloy manufac-
tured by stir casting. J Alloys Compd. 2020;817:153321. https​://
doi.org/10.1016/j.jallc​om.2019.15332​1.
35. Yu W, Wang X, Zhao H, Ding C, Huang Z, Zhai H, Guo Z,
Xiong S. Microstructure, mechanical properties and fracture
mechanism of Ti2AlC reinforced AZ91D composites fabricated
by stir casting. J Alloys Compd. 2017;702:199–208. https​://doi.
org/10.1016/j.jallc​om.2017.01.231.
Publisher’s Note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to
jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.