Issue 39

S. Doddamani et alii, Frattura ed Integrità Strutturale, 39 (2017) 274-281; DOI: 10.3221/IGF-ESIS.39.25 274 Experimental investigation on fracture toughness of Al6061–graphite by using Circumferential Notched Tensile Specimens Saleemsab Doddamani Department of Mechanical Engineering, Jain Institute of Technology, Karnataka, India, saleemsabdoddamani@gmail.com Mohamed Kaleemulla Department of Studies in Mechanical Engineering, University B.D.T. College of Engineering, Karnataka, India. A BSTRACT . This paper presents the experimental work carried out on the fracture behavior of aluminium 6061 (Al6061) and graphite particulate composites. The required specimens are prepared using stir casting method with graphite proportions ranging from 3 to 12 % by weight. The fracture behavior of Al6061-graphite particulate composites produced using stir casting method, was investigated by conducting experiments on Universal Testing Machine (UTM). Circumferential Notched Tensile (CNT) specimens were utilized to evaluate the fracture toughness of the composites. From the experiment the fracture toughness K IC = 15.85MPa m 1/2 is obtained for Al6061-9% Graphite. Further, the experimental results revealed that, except 12% graphite, the fracture toughness of Al6061-graphite was observed to increases with an increase in weight percentage of graphite. The experimental results reinforce that Al6061-graphite particulate MMCs are suitable for automotive and aerospace applications requiring high fracture toughness apart from good wear resistance. K EYWORDS . Fracture Toughness; Circumferential Notched Tensile (CNT) Specimens; Aluminium Graphite Particulate Composites. Citation: Doddamani, S., Kaleemulla, M., Experimental investigation on fracture toughness of Al6061–graphite by using Circumferential Notched Tensile Specimens, Frattura ed Integrità Strutturale, 39 (2017) 274-281. Received: 29.11.2016 Accepted: 06.12.2016 Published: 01.01.2017 Copyright: © 2017 This is an open access article under the terms of the CC-BY 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. I NTRODUCTION etal Matrix Composites (MMCs) are a widely varied group of materials that consist of a metallic alloy (aluminum, magnesium, and titanium alloys) as matrix and ceramic as reinforcement (alumina (Al 2 O 3 ), silicon carbide (SiC), carbon, or graphite) in the form of continuously aligned fibers, short fibers, whiskers, platelets M