Fatigue Analysis of Al6061 Reinforced with Silicon Carbide Composites

The increasing demand for lightweight and high-performance materials in structural applications has led to the developing of metal matrix composites with enhanced mechanical properties. However, the fatigue behaviour of such composites under cyclic loading remains a critical challenge, especially for applications involving dynamic stresses. This study evaluates the fatigue life and limit of Al6061 alloy reinforced with silicon carbide (SiC) particles at varying weight fractions. The composite specimens were fabricated using the stir casting technique with SiC content of 3, 6, 9, and 12 wt%. A stress-life approach under constant amplitude loading was employed to assess the fatigue behaviour of the composites. Experimental results indicate that the fatigue life significantly improves with increasing SiC content. Notably, the composite exhibits a fatigue life exceeding 105 cycles when subjected to stress levels below 150 MPa. These findings demonstrate the potential of SiC-reinforced Al6061 composites for fatigue-resistant structural applications.