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Metal Matrix Composites are developed in recent years as an alternative over conventional engineering materials due to their improved properties. Among all, Aluminium Matrix Composites (AMCs) are increasing their demand due to low density, high strength-to-weight ratio, high toughness, corrosion resistance, higher stiffness, improved wear resistance, increased creep resistance, low co-efficient of thermal expansion, improved high temperature properties. Major applications of these materials have been in aerospace, automobile, military. There are different processing techniques for the fabrication of AMCs. Powder metallurgy is a one of the most promising and versatile routes for fabrication of particle reinforced AMCs as compared to other manufacturing methods. This method ensures the good wettability between matrix and reinforcement, homogeneous microstructure of the fabricated MMC, and prevents the formation of any undesirable phases. This article addresses mainly on the effect of process parameters like sintering time, temperature and particle size on the microstructure of aluminum metal matrix composites.

Electrochemical Discharge Machining (ECDM) has combined characteristics of ECM and EDM which is effectively been used for machining electrically nonconductive, hard, and brittle materials like glass, quartz, and ceramics. However, the industrial application of this process is limited due to difficulty in machining micro holes with higher machined depth. To improve the machining performance of the ECDM process, loose abrasive particles have been mixed in an electrolyte while machining blind holes on soda–lime glass. This study is mainly focused on investigating the effect of process parameters (voltage and electrolyte concentration) on the responses (volume of material removed, machined depth and overcut) using CCRD. The significance of process parameters on the responses has been evaluated using ANOVA. A second-order regression equation has been developed for predicting the relation between input process parameters and quality characteristics (i.e. volume of material removed, diameter overcut, and machined depth). It is observed that the addition of Al2O3 abrasives has improved the volume of material removed and machined depth. On the other hand, the addition of SiC abrasives into the electrolyte has reduced the diametric overcut due to their specific characteristic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]