Is Prima Nanda, Nayimjon Rayimov, Hamidreza Ghandvar, Heiko Topol, Andril Arafat, Tuty Asma Abu Bakar
Due to its appealing properties, Al–Mg2Si composite is among the popular composites used in many industrial applications. The objective of this study is to address the combined effect of cerium (Ce) addition of different amounts (0, 0.3, 0.5, 0.8, and 1.0 wt%) and hot extrusion on microstructure and tensile properties and fracture behaviour of Al–20%Mg2Si composites. Microstructure of the composites were analyzed using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Mechanical property was examined using tensile testing. In addition, cooling curve thermal analysis (CCTA) was carried out to monitor the solidification behaviour of the fabricated composites. The results demonstrated that Ce addition, together with extrusion, refines Mg2Si particle's size, altered their morphology, promotes the formation of Ce-rich intermetallic compounds, and enhances tensile strength and ductility. It is found that introducing Cerium in concentrations up to 0.8 wt% together with hot extrusion resulted in a progressive decrease in the primary Mg2Si particle size from 46 μm to 23 μm and altering its morphology from dendritic to near spherical shape. Consequently, ultimate tensile strength (UTS), yield strength (YS) and elongation percentage (El%) escalated from 166 MPa to 247 MPa, 55 MPa–74 MPa and from 2.08 % to 12.62 % respectively with the addition of 0.8 wt% Cerium and hot extrusion process. In extruded 0.8 wt% Ce modified composite, stress concentration is revealed to be reduced, with enhanced ductility due to rounding of the primary Mg2Si particle edges which caused conversion from brittle to ductile mode of fracture. © 2025 The Authors. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co. Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Andalas, Sumatera Barat, Padang, 25163, Indonesia; Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, New Uzbekistan University, Movarounnahr Street 1, Mirzo Ulugbek District, Tashkent, 100000, Uzbekistan; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Negeri Padang, Sumatera Barat, 25131, Indonesia; Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor, Johor Bahru, 81310, Malaysia
