Influence of Anadara granosa Shell Particle Mesh on the Microstructure and Impact Toughness of Aluminium 6061 Alloy

Even though Aluminium 6061 (Al6061) has low density and good corrosion resistance, its relatively low impact toughness increases the risk of failure under sudden dynamic loading. To overcome this, the addition of proper hard particle reinforcement can be applied to this alloy. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effect of Anadara granosa shell (AGS) with different mesh sizes (50, 80, 100) on the microstructure, impact toughness, and hardness of the Al6061 alloy. The performance of each specimen was evaluated using the Charpy impact toughness and Vickers hardness tests. Meanwhile, the microstructure was observed using SEM-EDX, which provided insights into particle distribution and its correlation with mechanical properties. The results showed that the impact toughness increased from 5.6 J to 7.6 J, 8.1 J, and 9 J. Similarly, the hardness increased from 32.7 HV to 38.4 HV, 39.7 HV, and 42.7 J as the addition of AGS. The improvement continues to increase as the size of the reinforcement decreases. This trend is also reflected in the hardness results. In addition, SEM analysis showed that the finer mesh size promotes a more uniform particle distribution, indicating a factor of impact toughness and hardness improvement. These findings indicate that AGS is an effective natural reinforcement for improving the mechanical properties of Al6061, with a mesh size of 100 providing the greatest improvement.