The Performance of Zinc Alloy Based Metal Matrix Composites Produced Through Squeeze Casting

Zinc-aluminum cast alloys (ZA alloys) have good castability, mechanical properties and excellent tribological characteristics. Of all the ZA alloys, ZA-27 (containing 27% aluminum) has the highest strength and optimum wear resistance. However all the ZA alloys, including ZA-27, suffer from lack of creep resistance and high temperature stability. One probable solution to improve these properties is to reinforce the alloys with ceramic particles or fibers to result in metal matrix composites (MMCs). MMCs can be economically produced through squeeze casting which involves infiltration. This paper presents the salient features of an experimental study on ZA-27 alloy based MMCs produced through Squeeze Casting.