In this work, the effect of ZrB
2 (0, 5, 10 and 20?vol%) ceramic reinforcement on densification, structure, and properties of mechanically alloyed Al was investigated. The milling of Al-ZrB
2 powder compositions resulted in formation of agglomerates with varied size. In particular, the size of agglomerates was reduced considerably with increased addition of ZrB
2 to Al. Interestingly, the densification of hot pressed Al increased from 96.06% to 99.22% with ZrB
2 addition. The reduction of agglomerates size was attributed to the enhanced densification of Al-ZrB
2 composites. Pure Al showed relatively low hardness (0.94?GPa) and it was improved to 1.78?GPa with the addition of 20?vol% ZrB
2. The mechanical properties have significantly been improved for Al-ZrB
2 composites. Especially Al - 20?vol% ZrB
2 possessed a very high yield strength (529?MPa), compressive strength (630?MPa) and compressive strain of 19.25%. Realization of such a good combination of mechanical properties is the highest ever reported for Al composites so far in the literature. The coefficient of friction (COF) of Al-ZrB
2 varied narrowly between 0.33 and 0.40 after dry sliding wear against steel disc. The wear rate of Al-ZrB
2 composites was within mild wear regime and varied between 98.88?×?10
?6 and 34.66?×?10
?6 mm
3/Nm. Among all the compositions, Al - 20?vol% ZrB
2 composite exhibited the lowest wear rate and high wear rate was noted for pure Al. Mild abrasion, tribo-oxidation, third body wear (wear debris) and delamination were the major material removal mechanisms for Al-ZrB
2 composites. Overall the hardness, strength and wear resistance of Al - 20?vol% ZrB
2 composite was improved by 84.3%, 84.3% and 64.2%, respectively when compared to pure Al.
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