Wear and Corrosion Behaviour of In-Situ Al-TiB₂ Metal Matrix Composites

In-situ Al-TiB2 metal matrix composites containing 5 wt% and 10 wt% TiB2 have been synthesized through master alloy and mixed salt routes. The composites have shown five times increase in wear resistance compared to commercially pure aluminium. Corrosion evaluation by polarization technique carried out in NaCl, H2SO4 and NaOH solutions indicates a lower corrosion resistance of the composites than the corresponding base metals. The composites produced through mixed salt route suffered higher corrosion than those prepared by master alloy route. The results have been explained from the physical and electrochemical effects of TiB2 in the matrix.