International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET)
e-ISSN: 2395-0056
Volume: 13 Issue: 02 | Feb 2026
p-ISSN: 2395-0072
www.irjet.net
Experimental Investigation on Mechanical Properties of Fly Ash Reinforced Aluminium Alloy (Al 6061) Metal Matrix Composites P. Senthilkumar Lecturer, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Valivalam Desikar Polytechnic College, Nagapattinam, Tamilnadu, India. ---------------------------------------------------------------------***---------------------------------------------------------------------Abstract-The present research investigates the mechanical properties of Al6061 aluminium matrix composites reinforced with fly ash particles. The composites were fabricated using the stir casting technique with fly ash content varied from 0 wt. % to 12 wt. % in steps of 4%. The mechanical properties of the fabricated composites were evaluated. The experimental results reveal that the ultimate tensile strength and hardness increase with increasing fly ash content, whereas percentage elongation decreases as the fly ash content increases. Keywords: aluminum, Al 6061, fly ash, mechanical properties, ultimate tensile strength, hardness, aluminum metal matrix composites.
I.
INTRODUCTION
The demand for advanced engineering materials in critical sectors such as automotive, aerospace, defense, and maritime industries is continuously increasing. Modern engineering applications require materials with low weight, high strength, high stiffness, and low cost. These requirements cannot be fully satisfied by conventional monolithic alloys, leading to a growing interest in composite materials with enhanced properties. A composite material is a combination of two materials with different physical and chemical properties. A composite material is made up of a matrix and a reinforcement phase. In recent years, metal-matrix composites (MMCs) have attracted significant attention due to their superior mechanical properties compared to conventional monolithic alloys. Among MMCs, aluminium metal-matrix composites (AMMCs) are considered advanced materials and are widely used in applications such as aircraft structures, race car bodies, buildings, defense systems, electronics, automotive components, power plants, and satellite launch vehicles. Aluminum matrix composites have superior properties such as high modulus of elasticity, high strength, high fatigue resistance, high abrasion resistance, high rigidity, stability at high temperature, high strength to weight ratio, low coefficient of thermal expansion and low density. Various aluminium alloy series, including 1xxx, 2xxx, 5xxx, 6xxx, and 7xxx, are commonly used as matrix materials in AMMC fabrication. Among these, 6xxx series aluminium alloys are widely preferred due to their good machinability, excellent miscibility, and balanced mechanical properties. Aluminium matrix composites can be fabricated using several techniques, including stir casting, infiltration processes, squeeze casting, reactive in-situ methods, powder metallurgy, and friction stir processing. Among these methods, stir casting is one of the most economical and widely used techniques due to its simplicity, costeffectiveness, and suitability for large-scale production. Figure 1 shows different types of reinforcements commonly used for the fabrication of MMCs. Fly ash, a waste by-product generated during coal combustion in thermal power plants, is abundantly available in the Indian subcontinent and worldwide. Compared to conventional ceramic reinforcements such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), boron carbide (B₄C), silicon carbide (SiC), aluminium oxide (Al₂O₃), and titanium carbide (TiC), fly ash is significantly cheaper. In 2024–25, India generated 340.11 million tonnes of fly ash, of which 332.63 million tonnes were successfully utilized. During the year 2024-25, 32% of the total fly ash generated was used in the construction of roads and flyovers, followed by 27% utilized within the cement industry, and 14% in the manufacturing of bricks and tiles. The utilization of fly ash in India during the year 2024–2025 is depicted in figure 2.
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