Effects of reciprocating extrusion process on mechanical properties of AA 6061/SiC composites

A reciprocating extrusion (RE) process was used to improve the mechanical properties of Al-based composite manufactured using cast and powder metallurgy (PM). AA 6063 cast and AA 6061 powders were used as the matrix materials, and the matrix was reinforced by 5% SiC (volume fraction) particles. The hardness and grain size of extruded samples decrease with increasing the number of extrusion pass, while the toughness and ductility increase. As the tensile strength of the samples decreases, the elongation of the extruded samples increases. Consequently, reciprocating extrusion is an effective method for improving the mechanical properties of metal matrix composites (MMC).