Fracture toughness and wear resistance of aluminum-boron particulate composites cast using metallic and non-metallic chills

This paper describes the fabrication and testing of Al-boron particulate composites cast in sand moulds containing metallic (copper, steel and cast iron) and non-metallic (silicon carbide) chills, respectively. The size of the boron particulates is between 30 and 100 μm. The boron contents are 3, 6 and 9% by weight. The superior mechanical properties of the castings, particularly their ultimate tensile strength (UTS), hardness, wear resistance and fracture toughness, are discussed in relation to their microstructure.