An Experimental Investigations on Tribological and Mechanical Behavior of Aluminium Metal Matrix Composites

Abstract

Metal Matrix Composites (MMC) have been established to be an essential class of newlinematerials with the potential to replace a number of monolithic materials used in space craft, newlineautomotive, defense and sport goods manufacturing industries. Aluminium alloys are utilized in newlinemany applications because of their attractive properties like high strength, low density, durability, newlineand machinability and cost effective when compared to their competing metals. The scope of these newlineproperties can be further extended by utilizing aluminium matrix composite materials reinforced newlinewith hard ceramic particulates like Silicon carbide, Aluminium oxide, Zirconium and Boron newlinecarbide etc. newlineAluminium matrix composites are usually manufactured by various methods like liquid newlinemetallurgy route, powder metallurgy process etc. A comprehensive investigation was made to newlineassess the mechanical properties and wear behavior of Al 6061/Al2O3/B4C composites. The hybrid newlinecomposites were manufactured using stir casting technique. In this work aluminium alloy newlinereinforced with Al2O3 with varying weight percentage (1, 3 and 5%) and varying weight newlinepercentage of B4C (1, 2 and 3%) with an average particle size of 50 microns is chosen. The newlinereinforcements were mechanically stirred and well dispersed into the liquid metal, before newlinesolidification of the composites 1% of magnesium was added to the slurry to increase the newlinewettability of composites. newlineThe manufactured hybrid aluminium metal matrix composites were subjected to optical newlinemicroscopic to verify the uniform distribution of reinforcements in the base alloy. The mechanical newlineproperties and dry sliding wear behavior of the composites were determined as per ASTM newlinestandards. Unlubricated pin-on-disc tests were performed to investigate the wear behavior of newlinealuminium alloy and its composites. newline