Mechanical properties of saffil fiber reinforced zinc-aluminium alloy (ZA 27) produced by pressure die casting

Abstract

Conventional pressure die casting was used to produce ZA 27 alloy and zinc-aluminum composites with alumina short fibers (Saffil(TM)). While the Brinell hardness of the matrix alloy increased with increasing Saffil fiber content, on the other hand the tensile strength decreased. Creep tests were carried out on the 10 % - 30 % volume Saffil fiber reinforced ZA 27 matrix alloy and fiber-free ZA 27 alloy at 90 degreesC, 120 degreesC, 150 degreesC and stress values of 20 MPa, 40 MPa, 60 MPa. The results of ZA 27 alloys with Saffil fibers showed higher creep resistance than fiber free ZA 27 alloy. Among the MMCs, composite with fiber content 0.30 showed the highest creep resistance. The average stress exponent is 4 and 5.92 and average creep activation energy is 66.7 kJ/mol and 96.4 kJ/mol for ZA 27 and the MMCs, respectively.