Influence of microstructure and mechanical properties of TiC reinforced magnesium nano composites

In the present study, an effort has been made to synthesize TiC reinforced magnesium nanocomposites
by varying its weight percentage (3%, 6% and 9%) using powder metallurgy for marine applications. The
compaction pressure was maintained at 350MPa for 15min at 250°C followed by sintering process.
Sintering temperature was maintained at 650°C in argon protected atmosphere for 8 hrs. Optical
microscope and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) have been used to study the microstructure of
magnesium nanocomposites. Vickers micro hardness test and ASTM-E9 standards have been used to
evaluate the hardness and compressive properties of magnesium nanocomposites. The microstructure
of synthesized magnesium nanocomposites revealed that the reinforcement particles are
homogeneously distributed in the magnesium matrix without indication of cluster and they appeared
as a lamellar precipitates during diffusion. The increase in percentage of reinforcement increases its
compressive strength and hardness of magnesium nanocomposites due to the inclusion of stiffer and
stronger reinforcement in matrix alloy. B117 salt spray technique was utilized to study the corrosion
behavior of magnesium nanocomposites. It has been observed that the corrosion properties of
magnesium nanocomposites significantly increased to a maximum of 46% compared with monolithic
AZ91D magnesium material.