Characterization and Mechanical Testing of Hybrid Metal Composites of Aluminium Alloy (A356/LM25) Reinforced by Micro-Sized Ceramic Particles

A356/LM25 aluminum casting alloys are widely used in various aerospace, automobile, and engineering applications due to their high strength-to-weight ratio. With the growing demand for lightweight and high-strength components, aluminum matrix composites have emerged as promising materials for many engineering applications. In this study, we fabricated hybrid composites of A356/LM25 alloy reinforced with micro-sized ceramic particles, including ZrO₂, Al₂O₃, SiC, MgO, and Gr particulates, with different weight percentages (1, 3, and 5%), using the stir casting method. To analyze the composites’ morphology and the distribution of reinforcement, we used Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) combined with Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) Spectroscopy at varying magnification levels. We also utilized X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) technique to examine the material powder’s crystalline or amorphous nature. Additionally, we conducted a tensile test to determine the tensile strength and a Brinell hardness test to measure the hardness of the alloy composite. We achieved the highest tensile strength of 305.7 MPa for the LM25 + 1%MgO + 3%SiC composition, while the highest hardness of 96.95 BHN was obtained for the LM25 + 5%Al2O3 composition.