Investigation on the influence of heat-treatment parameters on the hardness of AA6061-SiCp composite

The development of metal matrix composites with discontinuous reinforcement represents a well-established method for improving the strength and stiffness of a material. The above class of composites are age-hardenable and can be strengthened through heat treatment. Experiments were conducted based on the design of experiments (DOE) technique to determine the effect of heat-treatment parameters on the hardness of AA6061-SiCp composite. Subsequently, the results were used for the formulation of a mathematical model. The adequacy of the developed model was checked by calculating the correlation coefficient. It is observed that the second-order interaction of the heat-treatment parameters has the maximum influence on hardness.