Abstract
In the present work, an aluminum metal matrix reinforced with (Al2O3) nanoparticles was fabricated as a surface composite sheet using friction stir processing (FSP). The effects of processing parameters on mechanical properties, hardness, and microstructure grain were investigated. The results revealed that multi-pass FSP causes a homogeneous distribution and good dispersion of Al2O3 in the metal matrix, and consequently an increase in the hardness of the matrix composites. A finer grain is observed in the microstructure examination in specimens subjected to second and third passes of FSP. The improvement in the grain refinement is 80% compared to base metal. The processing parameters, particularly rotational tool speed and pass number in FSP, have a major effect on strength properties and surface hardness. The ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and the average hardness are improved by 25% and 46%, respectively, due to presence of reinforcement Al2O3 nanoparticles.