Development of brass slag (industrial waste) reinforced aluminum metal matrix composite via powder metallurgy method

This study reports the development of brass slag-reinforced LM30 Al matrix composites fabricated through the powder metallurgy route with reinforcement concentration ranging from 2.5 to 10 wt.%. Microstructural analysis confirmed a uniform dispersion of brass slag particles and faceted primary Si within the Al-Si matrix. The density of the composite samples decreased with increasing brass slag concentration owing to the lower intrinsic density of the brass slag reinforcement as compared with the LM30 matrix, while porosity remained below 2%, indicating effective consolidation of powder. Hardness has been improved gradually from 50.02 HRB for LM30 alloy to 73.10 HRB for the composite sample containing 10 wt.% reinforcement. Compressive tests revealed a significant increase in yield and ultimate compressive strength with brass slag addition. Although the ductility has been decreased with increasing concentration of reinforcement. The results demonstrated good interfacial bonding between LM30 alloy and brass slag during sintering. Also, brass slag (an industrial by-product) can serve as a cost-effective and sustainable reinforcement, significantly enhancing the mechanical performance of Al alloys while contributing to waste utilization.