Studies on rice husk ash reinforced aa6061 metal matrix composites

Abstract

Rice Husk Ash (RHA) is an abundantly available agricultural waste worldwide. A major portion of milled paddy consists of rice and bran and the rest is husk. Rice mills utilize this husk as fuel to generate steam for the parboiling process. During burning, the volatile matter in the husk disappears and the remaining husk is converted into ash which is known as RHA. A million tons of RHA are produced every year across the world. Dumping of RHA pollutes the land and the surrounding area. On the other hand, the newlineeffective utilization of this agriculture waste will protect the environment. RHA is a cheaper reinforcement and low-density material compared to traditionally used ceramic particles such as SiC, Al2O3, B4C and TiC. In this present work, an attempt is made to produce aluminium alloy AA6061 reinforced with RHA particles by compocasting method and analyze the effect of microstructure on mechanical properties of AA6061/ RHA Aluminium Matrix Composites (RHA AMC). The objective of the present investigation is to report the characterization and dry sliding wear behavior of AA6061/RHA AMCs prepared using compocasting process. newline newline