Rice Husk Ash as Pore Former and Reinforcement on the Porosity, Microstructure, and Tensile Strength of Aluminum MMC Fabricated via the Powder Metallurgy Method

The handling of rice husk ash (RHA) has been raising environmental concerns, which led to the consideration of incorporating RHA in aluminum metal matrix composite fabrication. Due to the high silicon dioxide content of RHA, it can assist in enhancing both the properties and functionality of pure al...

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Main Authors: Azmah Hanim Mohamed Ariff, Ong Jun Lin, Dong-Won Jung, Suraya Mohd Tahir, Mohd Hafis Sulaiman
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-08-01
Series:Crystals
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/12/8/1100
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author Azmah Hanim Mohamed Ariff
Ong Jun Lin
Dong-Won Jung
Suraya Mohd Tahir
Mohd Hafis Sulaiman
author_facet Azmah Hanim Mohamed Ariff
Ong Jun Lin
Dong-Won Jung
Suraya Mohd Tahir
Mohd Hafis Sulaiman
author_sort Azmah Hanim Mohamed Ariff
collection DOAJ
description The handling of rice husk ash (RHA) has been raising environmental concerns, which led to the consideration of incorporating RHA in aluminum metal matrix composite fabrication. Due to the high silicon dioxide content of RHA, it can assist in enhancing both the properties and functionality of pure aluminum. In this research, the fabrication of aluminum metal matrix composite was carried out by utilizing different compositions of RHA, including weight fractions of 10 wt.%, 15 wt.%, and 20 wt.% via a powder metallurgy approach. The element powders, including aluminum and RHA, and magnesium stearate as a binder, were mixed, compacted, and sintered to attain a composite sample in the form of a pellet. The pellet was then characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM-EDX) to identify the pore structure and size for each RHA composition. The samples were also mechanically tested via Archimedes’ Principle and Brazilian Testing to identify their density, porosity, and tensile strength, respectively. The total porosity of RHA-15 wt.% was found to be the highest at 19.19%, yet with the highest tensile strength at 5.19 MPa due to its low open porosity at 4.65%. In contrast, the total porosity of RHA-20 wt.% was found to be slightly lower at 15.38%, with the highest open porosity at 6.95%, which reduced its tensile strength to 5.10 MPa, therefore indicating that reducing open porosity through controlling the composition of reinforcement tends to enhance the mechanical strength of aluminum metal matrix composites.
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spelling doaj.art-8d008ed452f04fd4938d5da4597062082023-12-03T13:30:07ZengMDPI AGCrystals2073-43522022-08-01128110010.3390/cryst12081100Rice Husk Ash as Pore Former and Reinforcement on the Porosity, Microstructure, and Tensile Strength of Aluminum MMC Fabricated via the Powder Metallurgy MethodAzmah Hanim Mohamed Ariff0Ong Jun Lin1Dong-Won Jung2Suraya Mohd Tahir3Mohd Hafis Sulaiman4Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, MalaysiaDepartment of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, MalaysiaDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Jeju National University, 1 Ara 1-dong, Jeju 690-756, KoreaDepartment of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, MalaysiaDepartment of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, MalaysiaThe handling of rice husk ash (RHA) has been raising environmental concerns, which led to the consideration of incorporating RHA in aluminum metal matrix composite fabrication. Due to the high silicon dioxide content of RHA, it can assist in enhancing both the properties and functionality of pure aluminum. In this research, the fabrication of aluminum metal matrix composite was carried out by utilizing different compositions of RHA, including weight fractions of 10 wt.%, 15 wt.%, and 20 wt.% via a powder metallurgy approach. The element powders, including aluminum and RHA, and magnesium stearate as a binder, were mixed, compacted, and sintered to attain a composite sample in the form of a pellet. The pellet was then characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM-EDX) to identify the pore structure and size for each RHA composition. The samples were also mechanically tested via Archimedes’ Principle and Brazilian Testing to identify their density, porosity, and tensile strength, respectively. The total porosity of RHA-15 wt.% was found to be the highest at 19.19%, yet with the highest tensile strength at 5.19 MPa due to its low open porosity at 4.65%. In contrast, the total porosity of RHA-20 wt.% was found to be slightly lower at 15.38%, with the highest open porosity at 6.95%, which reduced its tensile strength to 5.10 MPa, therefore indicating that reducing open porosity through controlling the composition of reinforcement tends to enhance the mechanical strength of aluminum metal matrix composites.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/12/8/1100porous aluminumaluminum metal matrix compositerice husk ashpowder metallurgymicrostructuremechanical properties
spellingShingle Azmah Hanim Mohamed Ariff
Ong Jun Lin
Dong-Won Jung
Suraya Mohd Tahir
Mohd Hafis Sulaiman
Rice Husk Ash as Pore Former and Reinforcement on the Porosity, Microstructure, and Tensile Strength of Aluminum MMC Fabricated via the Powder Metallurgy Method
Crystals
porous aluminum
aluminum metal matrix composite
rice husk ash
powder metallurgy
microstructure
mechanical properties
title Rice Husk Ash as Pore Former and Reinforcement on the Porosity, Microstructure, and Tensile Strength of Aluminum MMC Fabricated via the Powder Metallurgy Method
title_full Rice Husk Ash as Pore Former and Reinforcement on the Porosity, Microstructure, and Tensile Strength of Aluminum MMC Fabricated via the Powder Metallurgy Method
title_fullStr Rice Husk Ash as Pore Former and Reinforcement on the Porosity, Microstructure, and Tensile Strength of Aluminum MMC Fabricated via the Powder Metallurgy Method
title_full_unstemmed Rice Husk Ash as Pore Former and Reinforcement on the Porosity, Microstructure, and Tensile Strength of Aluminum MMC Fabricated via the Powder Metallurgy Method
title_short Rice Husk Ash as Pore Former and Reinforcement on the Porosity, Microstructure, and Tensile Strength of Aluminum MMC Fabricated via the Powder Metallurgy Method
title_sort rice husk ash as pore former and reinforcement on the porosity microstructure and tensile strength of aluminum mmc fabricated via the powder metallurgy method
topic porous aluminum
aluminum metal matrix composite
rice husk ash
powder metallurgy
microstructure
mechanical properties
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/12/8/1100
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