A review of various properties of ceramic-reinforced aluminium matrix composites is presented in this paper. The properties discussed include microstructural, optical, physical and mechanical behaviour of ceramic-reinforced aluminium matrix composites and effects of reinforcement fraction, particle size, heat treatment and extrusion process on these properties. The results obtained by many researchers indicated the uniform distribution of reinforced particles with localized agglomeration at some places, when the metal matrix composite was processed through stir casting method. The density, hardness, compressive strength and toughness increased with increasing reinforcement fraction; however, these properties may reduce in the presence of porosity in the composite material. The particle size of reinforcements affected the hardness adversely. Tensile strength and flexural strength were observed to be increased up to a certain reinforcement fraction in the composites, beyond which these were reduced. The mechanical properties of the composite materials were improved by either thermal treatment or extrusion process. Initiation and growth of fine microcracks leading to macroscopic failure, ductile failure of the aluminium matrix, combination of particle fracture and particle pull-out, overload failure under tension and brittle fracture were the failure mode and mechanisms, as observed by previous researchers, during fractography analysis of tensile specimens of ceramic-reinforced aluminium matrix composites.

Ceramic-reinforced aluminium matrix composites have attracted considerable attention in engineering applications as a result of their relatively low costs and characteristic isotropic properties. Reinforcement materials include carbides, nitrides and oxides. In an effort to achieve optimality in structure and properties of ceramic-reinforced metal matrix composites (MMCs), various fabrication and heat treatment techniques have evolved over the last 20 years. In this paper, the status of the research and development in fabrication and heat treatment techniques of ceramic-reinforced aluminium matrix composites is reviewed, with a major focus on material systems in terms of chemical compositions, weight or volume fraction, particle size of reinforcement, fabrication methods and heat treatment procedures. Various optical measurement techniques used by the researchers are highlighted. Also, limitations and needs of the technique in composite fabrication are presented in the literature. The full potential of various methods for fabricating ceramic-reinforced aluminium matrix composites is yet to be explored.

Cutting tool wear during turning of ceramic reinforced aluminum matrix composites was reviewed. Though tools of different materials, such as tungsten carbide, coated tungsten carbide, ceramics, cubic boron nitride, polycrystalline cubic boron nitride, chemical vapor deposition diamond coated tungsten carbide, and polycrystalline diamond were used for turning the aluminum matrix composites, better performance of polycrystalline diamond tools was observed in terms of tool life. The results obtained by many researchers indicated that dominant tool wear mechanism was abrasion, and tool life was mainly affected by flank wear during turning of these composites. The flank wear increased on increasing particulate size or weight fraction of reinforcement. Flank wear of the cutting tool also increased with increasing cutting speed, feed, and depth of cut; however, cutting speed was the most significant parameter affecting flank wear, followed by feed. Influence of depth of cut on flank wear was limited or insignificant.