Fabrication of AA7005/TiB2-B4C surface composite by friction stir processing: Evaluation of ballistic behaviour

Abstract

The present work aims to enhance the ballistic resistance of AA7005 alloy by incorporating the TiB2 and B4C ceramic reinforcement particles. Surface composites with different weight fractions of TiB2 and B4C particles were processed by friction stir processing. Micro-hardness and depth of penetration tests were carried out to evaluate the ballistic properties of the surface composites. The surface hardness of the composite was found to be nearly 70 HV higher than base alloy. The depth of penetration of the steel projectile was 20–26 mm in the composites as compared to 37 mm in the base alloy. Ballistic mass efficiency factor of the surface composite was found to be 1.6 times higher than base alloy. This is mainly attributed to the dispersion strengthening from the reinforcement particles. Keywords: Aluminum alloys, Metal matrix composite, Ballistic testing, Friction stir processing