A nano-indentation study on the mechanical behaviour of the matrix material in an AA6061-Al2O3 MMC

The nano-indentation technique is a suitable technique to measure hardness and elastic moduli profiles of AA6061 reinforced with Al2O3 particles, since it allows measurements of mechanical properties on a micrometer range. To investigate possible local variations in mechanical behaviour of the matrix material due to precipitation reactions being affected by the presence of ceramic reinforcements, nano-indentation tests were done on both metal matrix composite (MMC) as well as unreinforced reference material, in three different heat treatment conditions. Matrix response depends on heat treatment condition, but is approximately equal for the MMC and the base reference alloy. Due to the various imposed heat treatments, magnesium enrichment around the ceramic particles was observed, but hardness and elastic modulus of this interfacial layer could not be measured. To confirm the preferential segregation of Mg near the particle/matrix interface, linescans were made with a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) equipped with EDS (Energy Dispersive Spectrum) facilities. The limited width of the Mg rich zone explains the absence of typical ''interphase'' indentations in this investigation. Hardly any differences in calculated elastic moduli and hardness values were found for the three heat treatment conditions investigated, when comparing results of AA6061 reference material with results of an AA6061 matrix in an MMC. This result is of great importance when modelling the mechanical behaviour of MMCs using the finite element method, since it permits the assumption that the MMC matrix material behaves similar to the same aluminium alloy without ceramic reinforcements.