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Fabrication and Machining of Metal Matrix Composites

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A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Advanced Composites".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 October 2022) | Viewed by 33681

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Anna Janina Dolata

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Materials Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, Gliwice, Poland
Interests: materials science; metal matrix composites (MMCs); liquid phase method; mechanical casting; centrifugal casting; infiltration; local reinforcement; ceramic particles and foam; carbon fibers; microstructure; properties; application of MMCs

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Currently, metal matrix composites (MMCs) are successfully being used to replace conventional steels and different metal alloys in the automotive, aviation, space, and shipbuilding industries, mainly due to their excellent mechanical, thermal, and tribological properties, which are superior to conventional materials with the same, or even reduced, material density. However, the main problem of the wider engineering application of MMCs is their difficult and expensive finishing treatment.

This Special Issue will focus both on the traditional and special methods of fabrication, surface modification, and machining of metal matrix composites (MMCs), as well as the evolution of their microstructure and properties after applied processes. Descriptions of different “net shape” or “near net shape” fabrication methods, which to a large extent allow the elimination or reduction of the difficult machining of metal-ceramic composite products, and thus reduce both wastes and production costs, are particularly sought after. Moreover, theoretical and model manuscripts regarding various manufacturing processes, surface structure modification, design of characteristic properties, as well as test results related to conventional and novel machining operations for different kinds of MMCs are also welcome.

Original research papers are desirable on recent developments in the field of different kinds of metal matrix composite processing, their machining, joining, characterization of structure and properties, as well as articles and reviews of new MMCs applications are also invited.

I kindly invite you to submit a manuscript(s) for this Special Issue. Full papers, communications, and reviews are all welcome.

Prof. Anna Janina Dolata
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

metal matrix composites
fabrication methods
machining
joining
surface modification
microstructure
properties
modeling and simulations
application

Published Papers (13 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 10186 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of the Tribological Properties of Aluminum Matrix Composites Intended for Cooperation with Piston Rings in Combustion Engines

by Anna Janina Dolata, Jakub Wieczorek, Maciej Dyzia and Michał Starczewski

Materials 2022, 15(11), 3806; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15113806 - 26 May 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1508

Abstract

Tribological interactions between the piston groove and ring in combustion engines have a significant influence on mechanical friction losses. Based on the analysis of the distribution of forces acting on the piston, the conditions for the friction tests were selected. The research was carried out on composites reinforced with silicon carbide (SiC_p), glassy carbon (GC_p), and a hybrid mixture of particles (SiC_p + GC_p). Tribological tests were carried out under extremely unfavorable dry sliding conditions using a pin-on-block tester. The friction of coefficient and wear values of the matrix alloy, composites, and iron were compared. Profilometry was used to perform quantitative and qualitative analyses of the wear tracks formed on the tested surfaces. The effect of the presence of reinforcing particles on the geometry of working surfaces was also evaluated. The obtained results show that AlSi12CuNiMg/SiC_p and AlSi12CuNiMg/SiC_p + GC_p composites provided satisfactory effects towards stabilizing the friction coefficient and reducing the wear of tested tribological couples. This may provide a new solution dedicated to an important system, which is the piston groove/piston ring in diesel engines. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fabrication and Machining of Metal Matrix Composites)

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17 pages, 4475 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Fused Silica Addition on Thermal Expansion, Density, and Hardness of Alumix-231 Based Composites

by Luciano M. Rodrigues and Bojan A. Marinkovic

Materials 2022, 15(10), 3476; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15103476 - 12 May 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1554

Abstract

Fused silica is a ceramic with promising applications as a filler in composites due to its near-zero thermal expansion. Substitution of heavy cast iron with Al-based light alloys is of utmost importance for the automotive industry. However, the high thermal expansion of Al alloys is an obstacle to their use in some applications. As such, ceramic fillers are natural candidates for tuning thermal expansion of Al-based matrices, due to their inherently moderate or low thermal expansion. Alumix-231 is a new promising alloy, and fused silica has never been used before to lower its thermal expansion. Composites with the addition of 5 to 20 vol.% of fused silica were developed through powder metallurgy, and the best results in terms of reduction of thermal expansion were reached after liquid phase sintering at 565 °C. Coefficients of thermal expansion as low as 13.70 and 12.73 × 10⁻⁶ °C⁻¹ (between 25 and 400 °C) were reached for the addition of 15 and 20 vol.% of fused silica, a reduction of 29.9% and 34.8%, respectively, in comparison to neat Alumix-231. In addition, the density and hardness of these composites were not significantly affected, since they suffered only a small decrease, no higher than 6% and 5%, respectively. As such, the obtained results showed that Alumix-231/fused silica composites are promising materials for automotive applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fabrication and Machining of Metal Matrix Composites)

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18 pages, 18206 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Heat-Treated Ni-CNT Nanocomposites Produced by Powder Metallurgy Route

by Íris Carneiro and Sónia Simões

Materials 2021, 14(18), 5458; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14185458 - 21 Sep 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1471

Abstract

Nickel nanocomposites reinforced by carbon nanotubes (Ni-CNTs) are one of the possible candidates for applications in highly demanding industries such as the automotive and aerospace industries. As is well known, one of the limitations on the use of some materials in these applications is thermal stability. Some components in these industries are frequently subjected to high temperatures, which is crucial to understanding their microstructures and, consequently, their mechanical properties. For this reason, the main objective of this research is to understand the microstructural evolution of Ni-CNTs nanocomposites when subjected to heat treatment. The nanocomposites with varying levels of CNT content were produced by powder metallurgy, and unreinforced nickel was used for comparison purposes under the same conditions. The dispersion of CNTs, a critical aspect of nanocomposites production, was carried out by ultrasonication, which already proved its efficiency in previous research. The heat treatments were performed under high vacuum conditions at high temperatures (700 and 1100 °C for 30 and 120 min, respectively). Microhardness tests analyzed the mechanical properties while the extensive microstructural evaluation was conducted by combining advanced characterization techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and high-resolution TEM. The obtained results are promising and show that the presence of CNTs can contribute to the thermal stability of the Ni-CNT nanocomposites produced. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fabrication and Machining of Metal Matrix Composites)

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18 pages, 6508 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Types of Component Interfaces in Metal Matrix Composites on the Example of Magnesium Matrix Composites

by Katarzyna N. Braszczyńska-Malik

Materials 2021, 14(18), 5182; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14185182 - 9 Sep 2021

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2884

Abstract

In this paper, a summary of investigations of the microstructure of cast magnesium matrix composites is presented. Analyses of the interfaces between the reinforcing particles and the magnesium alloy matrices were performed. Technically pure magnesium and four various alloys with aluminum and rare earth elements (RE) were chosen as the matrix. The composites were reinforced with SiC and Ti particles, as well as hollow aluminosilicate cenospheres. Microstructure analyses were carried out by light, scanning, and transmission electron microscopy. The composites with the matrix of magnesium and magnesium–aluminum alloys with SiC and Ti particles exhibited coherent interfaces between the components. In the composites based on ternary magnesium alloy with Al and RE with Ti particles, a high-melting Al₂RE phase nucleated on the titanium. Different types of interfaces between the components were observed in the composites based on the magnesium–rare earth elements alloy with SiC particles, in which a chemical reaction between the components caused formation of the Re₃Si₂ phase. Intensive chemical reactions between the components were also observed in the composites with aluminosilicate cenospheres. Additionally, the influence of coatings created on the aluminosilicate cenospheres on the bond with the magnesium matrix was presented. A scheme of the types of interfaces between the components is proposed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fabrication and Machining of Metal Matrix Composites)

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15 pages, 3640 KiB

Open AccessArticle

High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering of In₂O₃/Sn Cold Sprayed Composite Target

by Marcin Winnicki, Artur Wiatrowski and Michał Mazur

Materials 2021, 14(5), 1228; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14051228 - 5 Mar 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2060

Abstract

High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (HiPIMS) was used for deposition of indium tin oxide (ITO) transparent thin films at low substrate temperature. A hybrid-type composite target was self-prepared by low-pressure cold spraying process. Prior to spraying In₂O₃ and oxidized Sn powders were mixed in a volume ratio of 3:1. Composite In₂O₃/Sn coating had a mean thickness of 900 µm. HiPIMS process was performed in various mixtures of Ar:O₂: (i) 100:0 vol.%, (ii) 90:10 vol.%, (iii) 75:25 vol.%, (iv) 50:50 vol.%, and (v) 0:100 vol.%. Oxygen rich atmosphere was necessary to oxidize tin atoms. Self-design, simple high voltage power switch capable of charging the 20 µF capacitor bank from external high voltage power supply worked as a power supply for an unbalanced magnetron source. ITO thin films with thickness in the range of 30–40 nm were obtained after 300 deposition pulses of 900 V and deposition time of 900 s. The highest transmission of 88% at λ = 550 nm provided 0:100 vol. % Ar:O₂ mixture, together with the lowest resistivity of 0.03 Ω·cm. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fabrication and Machining of Metal Matrix Composites)

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19 pages, 15972 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Reactive SPS on the Microstructure and Properties of a Dual-Phase Ni-Al Intermetallic Compound and Ni-Al-TiB₂ Composite

by Paweł Hyjek, Iwona Sulima, Piotr Malczewski, Krzysztof Bryła and Lucyna Jaworska

Materials 2020, 13(24), 5668; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13245668 - 11 Dec 2020

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1860

Abstract

As part of the tests, a two-phase NiAl/Ni₃Al alloy and a composite based on this alloy with 4 vol% addition of TiB₂ were produced by the reactive FAST/SPS (Field Assisted Sintering Technology/Spark Plasma Sintering) sintering method. The sintering process was carried out at 1273 K for 30 s under an argon atmosphere. The effect of reactive SPS on the density, microstructure, and mechanical and tribological properties of a dual-phase Ni-Al intermetallic compound and Ni-Al-TiB₂ composite was investigated. Products obtained were characterized by a high degree of sintering (over 99% of the theoretical density). The microstructure of sinters was characterized by a large diversity, mainly in regard to the structure of the dual-phase alloy (matrix). Compression tests showed satisfactory plastic properties of the manufactured materials, especially at high temperature (1073 K). For both materials at room temperature, the compressive strength was over 3 GPa. The stress–strain curves were observed to assume a different course for the matrix material and composite material, including differences in the maximum plastic flow stress depending on the test temperature. The brittle-to-ductile transition temperature was determined to be above 873 K. The research has revealed differences in the physical, mechanical and tribological properties of the produced sinters. However, the differences favourable for the composite were mostly the result of the addition of TiB₂ ceramic particles uniformly distributed on grain boundaries. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fabrication and Machining of Metal Matrix Composites)

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17 pages, 8022 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Hot Deformation Behavior and Workability of In-Situ TiB₂/7050Al Composites Fabricated by Powder Metallurgy

by Haofei Zhu, Jun Liu, Yi Wu, Qing Zhang, Qiwei Shi, Zhe Chen, Lei Wang, Fengguo Zhang and Haowei Wang

Materials 2020, 13(23), 5319; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13235319 - 24 Nov 2020

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1611

Abstract

Isothermal compression tests of in-situ TiB₂/7050Al composites fabricated by powder metallurgy were performed at 300–460 °C with the strain rate varying from 0.001 s⁻¹ to 1 s⁻¹. The Arrhenius constitutive equation and hot processing map of composites were established, presenting excellent hot workability with low activation energies and broad processing windows. Dramatic discontinuous/continuous dynamic recrystallization (DDRX/CDRX) and grain boundary sliding (GBS) take place in composites during deformation, depending on the Zener-Hollomon parameter (Z) values. It is found that initially uniform TiB₂ particles and fine grain structures are beneficial to the DDRX, which is the major softening mechanism in composites at high Z values. With the Z value decreasing, dynamic recovery and CDRX around particles are enhanced, preventing the occurrence of DDRX. In addition, fine grain structures in composites are stable at elevated temperature thanks to the pinning of dense nanoparticles, which triggers the occurrence of GBS and ensures good workability at low Z values. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fabrication and Machining of Metal Matrix Composites)

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15 pages, 4302 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Selected Physicochemical Properties of Diamond Like Carbon (DLC) Coating on Ti-13Nb-13Zr Alloy Used for Blood Contacting Implants

by Magdalena Antonowicz, Roksana Kurpanik, Witold Walke, Marcin Basiaga, Jozef Sondor and Zbigniew Paszenda

Materials 2020, 13(22), 5077; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13225077 - 11 Nov 2020

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1715

Abstract

Despite high interest in the issues of hemocompatibility of titanium implants, particularly those made of the Ti-13Nb-13Zr alloy, the applied methods of surface modification still do not always guarantee the physicochemical properties required for their safe operation. The factors that reduce the efficiency of the application of titanium alloys in the treatment of conditions of the cardiovascular system include blood coagulation and fibrous proliferation within the vessel’s internal walls. They result from their surfaces’ physicochemical properties not being fully adapted to the specifics of the circulatory system. Until now, the generation and development mechanics of these adverse processes are not fully known. Thus, the fundamental problem in this work is to determine the correlation between the physicochemical properties of the diamond like carbon (DLC) coating (shaped by the technological conditions of the process) applied onto the Ti-13Nb-13Zr alloy designed for contact with blood and its hemocompatibility. In the paper, microscopic metallographic, surface roughness, wettability, free surface energy, hardness, coating adhesion to the substrate, impendence, and potentiodynamic studies in artificial plasma were carried out. The surface layer with the DLC coating ensures the required surface roughness and hydrophobic character and sufficient pitting corrosion resistance in artificial plasma. On the other hand, the proposed CrN interlayer results in better adhesion of the coating to the Ti-13Nb-13Zr alloy. This type of coating is an alternative to the modification of titanium alloy surfaces using various elements to improve the blood environment’s hemocompatibility. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fabrication and Machining of Metal Matrix Composites)

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17 pages, 10088 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Surface Treatment on the Functional Properties Stainless Steel for Biomedical Applications

by Marcin Basiaga, Witold Walke, Magdalena Antonowicz, Wojciech Kajzer, Janusz Szewczenko, Alina Domanowska, Anna Michalewicz, Marek Szindler, Marcin Staszuk and Miłosz Czajkowski

Materials 2020, 13(21), 4767; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13214767 - 26 Oct 2020

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2082

Abstract

The main goal of the carried out tests was to analyze the influence of the surface modification of a substrate by depositing composite ZnO layers by the Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) method. The samples were subjected to preliminary surface modification consisting of being sandblasted and electropolished. A ZnO layer was applied to the prepared substrates by the ALD method. As a precursor of ZnO, diethylzinc (DEZ) was used, which reacted with water, enabling the deposition of the thin films. The chamber temperature was as follows: T = 100–300 °C. The number of cycles was 500 and 1500. As part of the assessment of the physicochemical properties of the resulting surface layers, the tests of chemical composition of the layer, pitting corrosion, impedance corrosion, adhesion to the metal substrate, morphology surface, and wettability were carried out. On the basis of the obtained research, it was found that a composite ZnO layer deposited onto a substrate previously subjected to the electrochemical polishing process has more favorable physicochemical properties. Moreover, an influence of temperature and the number of cycles of the deposition process on the obtained properties was observed, where the ZnO layer was characterized by more favorable properties at a temperature of 200–300 °C at 1500 cycles of the deposition process. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fabrication and Machining of Metal Matrix Composites)

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13 pages, 18646 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Hypo- and Hypereutectic Cast Mg/Mg₂Si Composites

by Katarzyna N. Braszczyńska-Malik and Marcin A. Malik

Materials 2020, 13(16), 3591; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13163591 - 14 Aug 2020

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2468

Abstract

In this paper, the microstructure and mechanical properties of two magnesium matrix composites—a hypoeutectic with 1.9 wt% Mg₂Si phase and a hypereutectic with 19 wt% Mg₂Si compound—were analyzed. The investigated materials were prepared using the gravity casting method. Microstructure analyses of the fabricated composites were carried out by XRD and light microscopy. The tensile and compression strength as well as yield strength of the composites were examined in both uniaxial tensile and compression tests. The microstructure of the hypoeutectic composite was in agreement with the phase diagram and composed of primary Mg dendrites and an Mg–Mg₂Si eutectic mixture. For the hypereutectic composite, besides the primary Mg₂Si phase and eutectic mixture, additional magnesium dendrites surrounding the Mg₂Si compound were observed due to nonequilibrium solidification conditions. The composites exhibited a rise in the examined mechanical properties with an increase in the Mg₂Si weight fraction and also a higher tensile and compression strength in comparison to the pure magnesium matrix (cast in the same conditions). Additionally, analyses of fracture surfaces of the composites carried out using scanning electron microscopy (SEM + EDX) are presented. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fabrication and Machining of Metal Matrix Composites)

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30 pages, 15805 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Decision Support System in the Field of Defects Assessment in the Metal Matrix Composites Castings

by Robert Sika, Michał Rogalewicz, Paweł Popielarski, Dorota Czarnecka-Komorowska, Damian Przestacki, Katarzyna Gawdzińska and Paweł Szymański

Materials 2020, 13(16), 3552; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13163552 - 12 Aug 2020

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 3098

Abstract

This paper presented a new approach to decision making support of defects assessment in metal matrix composites (MMC). It is a continuation of the authors’ papers in terms of a uniform method of casting defects assessment. The idea of this paper was to design an open-access application (follow-up system called Open Atlas of Casting Defects (OACD)) in the area of industry and science. This a new solution makes it possible to quickly identify defect types considering the new classification of casting defects. This classification complements a classical approach by adding a casting defect group called structure defects, which is especially important for metal matrix composites. In the paper, an application structure, and the possibility of its use in casting defects assessment were introduced. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fabrication and Machining of Metal Matrix Composites)

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Graphical abstract

16 pages, 9299 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of ZrB₂ on Microstructure and Properties of Steel Matrix Composites Prepared by Spark Plasma Sintering

by Iwona Sulima, Pawel Hyjek, Lucyna Jaworska and Malgorzata Perek-Nowak

Materials 2020, 13(11), 2459; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13112459 - 28 May 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2308

Abstract

In this study, four composites with different ZrB₂ content were made by the Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS/FAST) technique. The sintering process was carried out at 1373 K for 5 min under an argon atmosphere. The effect of ZrB₂ reinforcing phase content on the density, microstructure, and mechanical and tribological properties of composites was investigated. The results were compared with experimental data obtained for 316L austenitic stainless steel without the reinforcing phase. The results showed that the ZrB₂ content significantly affected the tested properties. With the increasing content of the ZrB₂ reinforcing phase, there was an increase in the Young’s modulus and hardness and an improvement in the abrasive wear resistance of sintered composites. In all composites, new fine precipitates were formed and distributed in the steel matrix and along the grain boundaries. Microstructural analysis (Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Wavelength Dispersive Spectroscopy (WDS)) has revealed that the fine precipitates chromium contained chromium as well as boron. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fabrication and Machining of Metal Matrix Composites)

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Review

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22 pages, 2735 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Review on AA 6061 Metal Matrix Composites Produced by Stir Casting

by Ansar Kareem, Jaber Abu Qudeiri, Asarudheen Abdudeen, Thanveer Ahammed and Aiman Ziout

Materials 2021, 14(1), 175; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14010175 - 1 Jan 2021

Cited by 121 | Viewed by 7645

Abstract

In recent years, many alloys as well as composites of aluminium were developed for enhanced material performance. AA 6061 is an aluminium alloy that has extensive applications due to its superior material characteristics. It is a popular choice of matrix for aluminium matrix composite (AMC) fabrication. This study provides a review on AA 6061 aluminium alloy matrix composites produced through the stir-casting process. It focusses on conventional stir-casting fabrication, process parameters, various reinforcements used, and the mechanical properties of the AA 6061 composites. Several research studies indicated that the stir-casting method is widely used and suitable for fabricating AA 6061 composites with reinforcements such as SiC, B₄C, Al₂O₃, TiC, as well as other inorganic, organic, hybrid, and nanomaterials. The majority of the studies showed that an increase in the reinforcement content enhanced the mechanical and tribological properties of the composites. Furthermore, hybrid composites showed better material properties than single reinforcement composites. The usage of industrial and agricultural residues in hybrid composites is also reported. Future studies could focus on the fabrication of AA 6061 nanocomposites through stir casting and their material characterisation, since they have great potential as advanced materials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fabrication and Machining of Metal Matrix Composites)

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