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Abstract
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Magnesium is a light structural metal that is increasingly used in the aerospace and automobile indus- tries. Its mechanical strength can be enhanced by adding reinforcing particles to the material. Friction stir process- ing, a solid state process has been used to insert reinforcing particles into the structure of a material to create a com- posite with improved properties. In the present study, 4, 8 and 16 % (v/v) SiC nanoparticles or carbon nanotubes (CNT) were added to AZ31 alloy using FSP with simul- taneous cooling and the microstructure, micro-hardness and tensile strength of the composites were examined. The results indicated that the addition of reinforcing materials decreased the size of the grains and increased structural uniformity and micro-hardness. SiC nanoparticles were distributed uniformly within the material; however, the CNTs agglomerated. It was found that increasing the per- centage of reinforcing material increased the yield stress of the material, but decreased the ultimate stress and deformation.
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