The developments of any composite always depend on the strong wettability of reinforcement phases in matrix. One way of improving the wettability is to apply a layer of coating on reinforcement particles. The present study aims at the development of Ni coating on nano Al2O3 ceramic particles and to reinforce it in AZ91E magnesium matrix material. The Electroless plating method has been employed to coat the particles and Semi Solid Stir Casting technique was used to prepare the composites. Several weight fractions of reinforcement are considered to analyze the behavior of the fabricated composites. FESEM and XRD analysis has been carried out to investigate the distribution of particles and phase characteristics of the proposed material. The physical and mechanical behavior of the material was examined through density measurements, hardness, Elastic modulus, ductility an tensile strength calculations. The metal coating on reinforcement aids to promote metal – metal bonding interface reactions which resulted in improved properties of the composite.

Keywords : AZ 91 E Mg alloys, semi solid stir casting, mechanical properties, FESEM,XRD