Development of Composite Materials Using Magnesium Matrix with Variations in the Addition of Volume Fractions of Nano-Al2O3 Reinforcement Results of the Stir Casting Method

Abstract

Magnesium matrix composites were developed as a form of material selection that can save fuel use due to excess magnesium, which has very low specific gravity and still has good mechanical properties. In this study, a magnesium matrix composite with nano-Al₂O₃ reinforcement was successfully fabricated using the stir casting method. When compared with magnesium monolithic, the addition of nano-Al₂O₃ particles of 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20, and 0.25 %Vf in magnesium composite casting was investigated to improve the mechanical properties of Mg/nano-Al₂O₃ composites. Magnesium composites with 0.20% Vf reinforcement were found to be the best composition of impact price, wear rate, density, and porosity. This is because the more reinforcement given, the more mechanical properties increase, but the agglomeration tendency of nano-Al₂O₃ particles is higher so that at a composition of 0.25 %Vf, there is a mechanism anomaly because the reinforcement carried out is less homogeneous. In addition to the number of amplifiers, the improvement of mechanical properties is influenced by the fabrication process, i.e. stir casting. This study uses chemical characterization of OES, EDS, and XRD, hard damage, impact, wear, density and porosity testing, and metallographic observations using OM and SEM.