Synthesis and characterization of stiffness-critical materials using interconnected wires as reinforcement

Magnesium based composites reinforced with two types of galvanized iron wire preforms equivalent to about 5 vol% reinforcement were fabricated using conventional casting technique followed by hot extrusion. Microstructural characterization of the extruded composite samples showed minimal porosity and good interfacial integrity between the reinforcement wire and the matrix material. The mechanical characterization of the composites revealed that the Rule-of-Mixtures (ROM) stiffness was realized in both the composite materials. The yield strength of the composites and the monolithic material were the same within the standard deviations. An attempt is made to rationalize the microstructure and tensile behavior, especially the stiffness of the composite material, with the presence of interconnected wires in the form of preform and the type of preform in the magnesium matrix.