Effect of graphene oxide nanoplates on the microstructure, quasi-static and dynamic penetration behavior of Al6061 nanocomposites

Abstract In this research, the effect of graphene oxide (GO) nanoplates on the microstructure, tensile and perforation behavior of Al6061 matrix has been investigated. The composites with 0.2, 0.5 and 0.8 wt % of GO were fabricated by stir casting and hot rolling process. Optical and scanning electron microscopy observations revealed that the matrix grains are considerably refined by the incorporation of GO nanoplates. The quasi-static tensile tests showed that the grain refinement in the composites gives rise to the accompanied increase in strength and ductility. The penetration tests were carried out using steel flat head projectiles with mass of 4.5 g and initial velocity in range of 100–300 m/s. The experimental as well as the nonlinear simulation results showed that by adding GO nanoplates the ballistic velocity limit of the composite specimens improves by 24% with respect to the base alloy. Also, the energy absorption of composite specimens showed 107% improvement. The experimental data were used to develop an analytical relationship between the weight percent of GO and the deflection of fabricated composites.