Analytical and experimental study of fatigue in 7075 aluminum nanocomposite reinforced with silicon carbide particles produced by vortex method

While bare Aluminum does not have the desired properties for aerospace and naval industries, when converted to composite by reinforcing materials, the desired mechanical and other properties are achieved. In this study, Aluminum 7075-T6 was selected as the base phase and Silicon Carbide (SiC) particles were used as the reinforcing phase for the composite for the experiments on the yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, and fatigue life. According to the experiment design, the SiC was prepared with three different particle sizes, in nanometer, submicron and micron scales. SiC powder with different mass fractions with Aluminum was cast by vortex casting by a resistive furnace equipped with an electromagnetic coil and a vacuum pump, and the composite samples were cast according to the experimental design. The samples were then subjected to dissolution. Afterward, T6 heat treatment was performed on the samples. Ultimately, the prepared experimental samples were subjected to tensile and fatigue tests, followed by the relevant standards. According to the results, reinforcement of aluminum 7075-T6 with SiC particles improved properties such as yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, and fatigue life, but reduced the elongation and ductility of the samples. The results indicate that 1% sample with nanoparticle size has improved the final tensile strength by 21.33% and has the highest fatigue strength.