Development of Polymer–Micro-Aluminum Composites for Lightweight Engineering Applications

[{“box”:0,”content”:”n[if 992 equals=”Open Access”]n

n

n

n

Open Access

nn

n

n[/if 992]n[if 2704 equals=”Yes”]n

n

Notice

nThis is an unedited manuscript accepted for publication and provided as an Article in Press for early access at the author’s request. The article will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and galley proof review before final publication. Please be aware that errors may be identified during production that could affect the content. All legal disclaimers of the journal apply.n

n[/if 2704]n

n

Year : 2025 [if 2224 equals=””]09/10/2025 at 3:27 PM[/if 2224] | [if 1553 equals=””] Volume : 13 [else] Volume : 13[/if 1553] | [if 424 equals=”Regular Issue”]Issue : [/if 424][if 424 equals=”Special Issue”]Special Issue[/if 424] [if 424 equals=”Conference”][/if 424] 06 | Page : 1 12

n

n

nn

n

n

n

    By

    n

    [foreach 286]n

    n

    P. Saravana Kumar, D. Sudha, Nantha kumar P, N. Rajesh, T. Venkatamuni, Sivakumar A., J. Sharmila, Shailendra Kumar Bohidar, Zakir Hussain,

    n t

  • n

    n[/foreach]

    n

n[if 2099 not_equal=”Yes”]n

    [foreach 286] [if 1175 not_equal=””]n t

  1. Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Associate Professor, Associate Professor, Professor, Professor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University college of Engineering Arni, Thatchur, Department of Physics, R.M.K. Engineering College, Kavaraipettai, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sri Sairam Engineering College, Chennai, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sri Venkateswara college of Engineering, Tirupati, Department of Mechanical Engineering, VSB Engineering College, Karur, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Varuvan Vadivelan Institute of Technology, Dharmapuri, Department of Chemistry, St. Joseph’s College of Engineering, OMR, Chennai, Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering & I.T., MATS University, Arang, Raipur, Department of Chemical Technology, Loyola Academy, Secunderabad, Tamil Nadu, Tamil Nadu, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Tamil Nadu, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, India, India, India, India, India, India, India, India, India

    2. n[/if 1175][/foreach]

n[/if 2099][if 2099 equals=”Yes”][/if 2099]n

n

Abstract

n

n

nThis research focuses on the systematic development of polymer–micro aluminum composites, with polypropylene (PP) and epoxy selected as representative polymer matrices. Micro aluminum fillers in the range of 5–25 wt.% were incorporated through melt blending (PP) and casting (epoxy), and the resulting composites were evaluated in terms of mechanical performance, microstructural integrity, and crystalline characteristics. Tensile strength of the composites increased significantly, from 31 MPa in neat PP to 44 MPa in PP–20 wt.% Al (~42% improvement), and from 62 MPa in neat epoxy to 86 MPa in epoxy–20 wt.% Al (~38% improvement). Flexural strength exhibited similar enhancements, peaking at 70 MPa for PP composites and 125 MPa for epoxy composites, corresponding to ~67% and ~39% improvements, respectively. Hardness of both polymer composites improved progressively up to 20 wt.% filler, followed by marginal decline due to particle clustering and void formation. SEM microstructural characterization confirmed that filler dispersion and polymer–filler adhesion were critical to composite strengthening, with well-bonded particles at intermediate contents and severe agglomeration at 25 wt.%. XRD diffraction patterns revealed the preservation of crystalline aluminum peaks ((111), (200), (220), (311)) within both polymer matrices, with sharper intensities in epoxy composites due to superior interfacial compatibility. The results clearly establish that polymer–micro aluminum composites achieve optimum performance at 20 wt.% filler loading, beyond which agglomeration undermines their advantages. These findings highlight the potential of polymer composites reinforced with micro aluminum for multifunctional lightweight engineering applications.nn

n

n

n

Keywords: Polymer–micro aluminum composites, Epoxy composites, Flexural strength, Tensile strength.

n[if 424 equals=”Regular Issue”][This article belongs to Journal of Polymer and Composites ]

n

[/if 424][if 424 equals=”Special Issue”][This article belongs to Special Issue under section in Journal of Polymer and Composites (jopc)][/if 424][if 424 equals=”Conference”]This article belongs to Conference [/if 424]

n

aWQ6MjI4OTc0fGZpbGVuYW1lOmI3YTdiNjk0LWZpLmF2aWZ8c2l6ZTp0aHVtYm5haWw=

n

n

How to cite this article:
nP. Saravana Kumar, D. Sudha, Nantha kumar P, N. Rajesh, T. Venkatamuni, Sivakumar A., J. Sharmila, Shailendra Kumar Bohidar, Zakir Hussain. [if 2584 equals=”][226 wpautop=0 striphtml=1][else]Development of Polymer–Micro-Aluminum Composites for Lightweight Engineering Applications[/if 2584]. Journal of Polymer and Composites. 18/09/2025; 13(06):1-12.

n

How to cite this URL:
nP. Saravana Kumar, D. Sudha, Nantha kumar P, N. Rajesh, T. Venkatamuni, Sivakumar A., J. Sharmila, Shailendra Kumar Bohidar, Zakir Hussain. [if 2584 equals=”][226 striphtml=1][else]Development of Polymer–Micro-Aluminum Composites for Lightweight Engineering Applications[/if 2584]. Journal of Polymer and Composites. 18/09/2025; 13(06):1-12. Available from: https://journals.stmjournals.com/jopc/article=18/09/2025/view=0

nn

n

n[if 992 equals=”Open Access”]Full Text PDF[/if 992]n

n

n[if 992 not_equal=”Open Access”]n

n

n[/if 992]n

nn

nnn

n[if 379 not_equal=””]nn

Browse Figures

n

n

n[foreach 379]

figures

[/foreach]n

n

n

n[/if 379]

n

n

n

n

n

References n

n[if 1104 equals=””]n

  1. Valente, D. Marini, V. Genova, A. Quitadamo, F. Marra, G. Pulci, Lightweight metallic matrix composites: development of new composites material reinforced with carbon structures, J. Appl. Biomater. Funct. Mater. 17 (1_suppl) (2019) 228080001984029, https://doi.org/10.1177/2280800019840294.
  2. Jordan J, Jacob KI, Tannenbaum R, et al. Experimental trends in polymer nanocomposites a review. Mater Sci Eng A 2005; 393: 1–11.
  3. Yu L, Yang S, Wang H, et al. An investigation of the friction and wear behaviours of micrometer copper particle- and nanometer copper particle-filled polyoxymethylene composites. J Appl Polym Sci 2000; 77: 2404–2410.
  4. Sarkar P, Modak N and Sahoo P. Mechanical characteristics of aluminium powder filled glass epoxy composites. Int J Eng Technol 2017; 12: 1–14.
  5. Narayan J, Bijwe J and Pandey RK. Tribo-performance enhancement of PAEK composites using nano/micro- particles of metal chalcogenides. Compos Sci Technol 2018; 167: 7–23.
  6. Palaniappan M, Palanisamy S, Khan R, et al. Synthesis and suitability characterization of microcrystalline cellulose from Citrus × sinensis peel waste for polymer composite applications. J Polym Res. 2024;31(4):105. doi:10.1007/s10965-024-03946-0.
  7. Prabhu FF, Kumar KP, Shanmugam A, Kumar M, Senthil TS, Dhanraj JA. Study on wear behaviour of Al6061 MMC with nano-MoC. Mater Today Proc. 2022;69(Part 3):1154–8.
  8. Kareem SA, et al. Aluminium matrix composites reinforced with high entropy alloys: a comprehensive review on interfacial reactions, mechanical, corrosion, and tribological characteristics. J Mater Res Technol 2024;30(January):8161–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmrt.2024.05.153.
  9. Jasmin MN, Sathish S, Senthil TS, Naidu BA, Das AD, Arun KK, et al. Investigation on natural fiber reinforced polymer matrix composite. Mater Today Proc. 2023;74(Part 1):60–3.
  10. Vennila T, Surakasi R, Raghuram KS, Ravi G, Madhavarao S, Udagani C, Sudhakar M. Investigation on tensile behaviour of Al/Si3N4/sugarcane ash particles reinforced FSP composites. Int J Photoenergy. 2021; 59:1266–70.
  11. Srinivas J, Karthikeyan KR, Senthil TS, Yesuraj K, Aultrin KSJ. Characterization of mechanical and viscoelastic properties of ceramic nanoparticle-reinforced polymer composites. J Polym Compos. 2024;13(1):71–82.
  12. Prasad Reddy A, Vamsi Krishna P, Rao RN. Tribological behaviour of Al6061–2SiC- xGr hybrid metal matrix nanocomposites fabricated through ultrasonically assisted stir casting technique. Silicon 2019;11(6):2853–71. https://doi.org/10.1007/ s12633-019-0072-9.
  13. Mary Jasmin N, Beena T, Senthil S, Sakthi S, Ramesh Kumar M, Rahul Alex S, et al. Machinability behaviors of synthesized beryllium composite. Mater Today Proc. 2023;74(Part 1):40–3.
  14. Gowrishankar TP, Manjunatha LH, Sangmesh B. Mechanical and wear behaviour of Al6061 reinforced with graphite and TiC hybrid MMC’s. Mater Res Innov 2020;24 (3):179–85. https://doi.org/10.1080/14328917.2019.1628497.
  15. Palanisamy S, Kalimuthu M, Palaniappan M, et al. Characterization of Acacia caesia bark fibers (ACBFs). J Nat Fibers. 2022;19(15):10241-10252. doi:10.1080/15440478.2021.1993493.
  16. Reena Roy R, et al. Investigation of the wear behavior of AA6063/Zirconium oxide nanocomposites using hybrid machine learning algorithms. J Chem 2023;2023. https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/7571588.
  17. Priya CB, Ravi Kumar V, Umamaheswari D, Venkatesh R, Karthigairajan M, Kaliappan S, et al. Bio-degradable waste banana and neem fiber reinforced epoxy hybrid composites: Characteristics study. J Mech Sci Technol. 2024;38(4):1891–6.
  18. H. Rajamudi Gowda, G. Goud, K. Sathynarayana, M. Puttegowda, Influence of water absorption on mechanical and morphological behaviour of Roystonea- Regia/banana hybrid polyester composites, Appl. Sci. Eng. Prog. 17 (1) (2024) 7074, https://doi.org/10.14416/j.asep.2023.10.003.
  19. Kumar, A. Bharti, K. Saxena, A re-investigation: effect of powder metallurgy parameters on the physical and mechanical properties of aluminium matrix composites, Mater. Today: Proc. 44 (2021) 2188–2193, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2020.12.351.
  20. Lathashankar, G. Tejaswini, R. Suresh, N. Swamy, Advancements in diffusion bonding of aluminium and its alloys: a comprehensive review of similar and dissimilar joints, Adv. Mater. Process. Technol. (2022) 1–19, https://doi.org/10.1080/2374068x.2022.2079274.
  21. Du, J. Xiong, F. Jin, S. Li, L. Yuan, D. Feng, Microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of diffusion bonding Al5(TiZrHfNb)95 refractory high entropy alloy to Ti2AlNb alloy, Mater. Sci. Eng., A 802 (2021) 140610, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msea.2020.140610.
  22. Sahoo, D. Das, Critical review on liquid state processing of aluminium based metal matrix nano-composites, Mater. Today: Proc. 19 (2019) 493–500, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.07.642.
  23. Kanth, P. Rao, M. Krishna, Mechanical behaviour of fly ash/SiC particles reinforced Al-Zn alloy-based metal matrix composites fabricated by stir casting method, J. Mater. Res. Technol. 8 (1) (2019) 737–744.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmrt.2018.06.003.
  24. Goutham, E.R.S.; Hussain, S.S.; Muthukumar, C.; Krishnasamy, S.; Kumar, T.S.M.; Santulli, C.; Palanisamy, S.; Parameswaranpillai, J.; Jesuarockiam, N. Drilling Parameters and Post-Drilling Residual Tensile Properties of Natural-Fiber-Reinforced Composites: A Review. J. Compos. Sci. 2023, 7, 136. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcs7040136.
  25. Gecu, A. Karaaslan, Casting temperature dependent wear and corrosion behavior of 304 stainless steel reinforced A356 aluminium matrix bimetal composites fabricated by vacuum-assisted melt infiltration casting, Wear 446–447 (2020) 203183, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wear.2020.203183.
  26. Almeshaal M, Palanisamy S, Murugesan TM, Palaniappan M, Santulli C. Physico-chemical characterization of Grewia monticola Sond (GMS) fibers for prospective application in biocomposites. J Nat Fibers. 2022;19(17):15276-90. doi:10.1080/15440478.2022.2123076.
  27. G. Padmanabhan, et al., Evaluation of mechanical properties and Fick’s diffusion behaviour of aluminum-DMEM reinforced with hemp/bamboo/basalt woven fiber metal laminates (WFML) under different stacking sequences, Ain Shams Engineering Journal, Volume 15, Issue 7, 2024, 102759. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asej.2024.102759.
  28. Palanisamy S, et al., Wear properties and post-moisture absorption mechanical behavior of kenaf/banana-fiber-reinforced epoxy composites. Fibers. 2022;10(4):32. doi:10.3390/fib10040032.

nn[/if 1104][if 1104 not_equal=””]n

    [foreach 1102]n t

  1. [if 1106 equals=””], [/if 1106][if 1106 not_equal=””],[/if 1106]

    2. n[/foreach]

n[/if 1104]

n

nn[if 1114 equals=”Yes”]n

n[/if 1114]

n

n

[if 424 not_equal=””]Regular Issue[else]Published[/if 424] Subscription Original Research

n

n

n

n

n

Journal of Polymer and Composites

n

[if 344 not_equal=””]ISSN: 2321–2810[/if 344]

n

n

n

nn

n

[if 2146 equals=”Yes”][/if 2146][if 2146 not_equal=”Yes”][/if 2146]n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n[if 1748 not_equal=””]

[else]

[/if 1748]n

n[if 1746 equals=”Retracted”]n

n

n

n

[/if 1746]n[if 4734 not_equal=””]

n

n

n

[/if 4734]n

n

Volume 13
[if 424 equals=”Regular Issue”]Issue[/if 424][if 424 equals=”Special Issue”]Special Issue[/if 424] [if 424 equals=”Conference”][/if 424] 06
Received 04/09/2025
Accepted 08/09/2025
Published 18/09/2025
Retracted
Publication Time 14 Days

n

n

39

nn

n

Login

n
My IP
n

PlumX Metrics

nn

n

n

n[if 1746 equals=”Retracted”]n

[/if 1746]nnn

nnn”}]