COMPARATIVE STUDY OF COPPER BASED METAL MATRIX COMPOSITES

Abstract

In this present work an effort has been made to fabricate and compare the properties of copper based metal
matrix composites. Two specimens were made by adding 2wt% of Feand 2wt% of Fe, 1wt% of SiC with copper metal
matrix. The specimens were fabricated by using Powder compaction with hot pressing technique. X-ray diffraction
analysis was carried out for phase analysis. EDX analysis confirms the presence of Fe and SiC in Cu-Matrix.
Morphology of the fabricated composite reinforced with Fe and Fe-SiC were studied in detail by optical microscopy to
analyse the particle distribution in copper metal phase. Microstructural analysis of samples was studied by using
scanning electron microscope. The hardness test was carried out to find the hardness of composites by using a Rockwell
hardness tester, which shows the hardness of Cu-2Fe-SiC is approximately 24% more than Cu-2Fe Composite. Wear test
was carried out to study the wear resistance behaviour of Composites. Wear test analysis proves that wear resistance
behaviour of Cu-2Fe-SiC composite is higher than Cu-2Fe composite. AFM results confirm that the Cu-2Fe-SiC
composite has better roughness behaviour than Cu-2Fe composite.