Tensile and compressive mechanical properties of ZA27/ molybdenum disulfide, metal matrix composite

The present investigation aims to study the mechanical properties of ZA-27 alloy/Molybdenum disulfide composites containing Molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) particles of size 40 µm. 1% and 2% of Molybdenum disulfide are reinforced with ZA 27 alloy (which mainly consists of Aluminium 27%, Copper 0.5%, Tin 1-2%, and the balance is Zinc) through the stir casting method. In this method, MoS₂ particles are poured into the molten ZA 27 alloy, and a stirrer is used for the uniform distribution of the particles. The results of the present investigation showed that as MoS₂ composition increased, there were significant monotonic increases in the elastic load strength, plastic load strength, ultimate tensile strength (UTS), and compressive strength of MoS₂-reinforced ZA 27 alloy compared to unreinforced ZA 27 alloy. The present work provides explanations for these obtained results with the help of Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images.