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Microstructural and mechano-tribological behavior of Al reinforced SiC-TiC hybrid metal matrix composite
Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Materials Today: Proceedings journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/matpr
Microstructural and mechano-tribological behavior of Al reinforced SiC-TiC hybrid metal matrix composite Alip Kumar a, Md. Yeasin Arafath a, Pallav Gupta b, Devendra Kumar c, Chaudhery Mustansar Hussain d, Anbesh Jamwal a,⇑ a
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Alakh Prakash Goyal Shimla University, Himachal Pradesh, India Department of Mechanical Engineering, A.S.E.T., Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida 201313, India Department of Ceramic Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University), Varanasi 221005, India d Department of Chemistry and EVSC, New Jersey Institute of Technology, NJ, USA b c
a r t i c l e
i n f o
Article history: Received 28 June 2019 Received in revised form 1 August 2019 Accepted 19 August 2019 Available online xxxx Keywords: Metal matrix composites Stir casting Optical microscopy Density Hardness Wear
a b s t r a c t At present time aluminum matrix composites are widely used in automobile sectors, aerospace, and other engineering applications. The aim of this present study is to develop aluminum reinforced SiCTiC hybrid metal matrix composites by liquid stir casting process. It also investigates the effect of hybrid ceramic reinforcements on the microstructural, mechanical and tribological behavior of composites. In present study, for composites SiC content is fixed as 1 wt% and TiC content is varied as (1, 1.5, 2 and 2.5 wt%). It is found that increase in the reinforcement content of SiC-TiC particles increases the hardness and decreases the density of composites. Improvement in wear resistance is also seen at higher reinforcement content. It is expected that this composite is beneficial in the development of lightweight composites for aerospace applications. Ó 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International Conference on Mechanical and Energy Technologies.
1. Introduction In the last few decades, composite materials have been playing an important role in the development of many industries and engineering applications [1]. In past few years, materials have been used in transport, construction, communication and other engineering applications which are fulfilling the human needs [2]. Materials play a vital role in our daily needs and also in the development of any nation [3]. At present, the way in which materials are being used for the development of our daily needs is fairly enough to know the importance of engineering in our life [4]. With the rapid changes in manufacturing scenario among global industries, new forms of materials are to be developed [5]. The newly developed material has better properties than traditional materials. All these necessities can be fulfilled by composites [6]. Laterally, it has become popular because of its excellent properties (i.e., low density, light weight) and wide applications [7]. It is kind of advanced engineered materials; which have become mandatory
⇑ Corresponding author. E-mail address: [email protected] (A. Jamwal).
for automobile as well as aerospace industries and have also shown a profitable business by itself [8]. They are also being used in various industrials product and shipbuilding, new edge cutting tools [9]. The reinforcement of this engineered advance materials gets diapered into the matrix either in a continuous or discontinuous phase [10]. Composite materials are extensively used in journal bearing, cutting tools and variety of interior design component and other parts [11]. In, the past few decades, major research area was the development of harder as well as lightweight composites materials which is applicable in aircraft and automotive industries [12]. Among all aluminum matrix composites has gained popularity due to diversified properties. In aluminum metal matrix composite the mostly used reinforcement are Al2O3 [13], SiC [14], B4C [15], TiC [16], Graphite [17] and Carbon nanotubes [18]. In past studies it is reported that properties of aluminum matrix composites depends on the amount of reinforcement (wt.%), grain size, shape and processing techniques [19]. Aluminum matrix composites exhibit good strength and lower density than pure aluminum and its alloys. Aluminum matrix composite can be fabricated by powder metallurgy [20], infiltration processes [21], stir casting [22] and squeeze casting [23]. These manufacturing processes are divided into two categories. One is known as solid-state processing
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.08.186 2214-7853/Ó 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International Conference on Mechanical and Energy Technologies.
Please cite this article as: A. Kumar, M. Yeasin Arafath, P. Gupta et al., Microstructural and mechano-tribological behavior of Al reinforced SiC-TiC hybrid metal matrix composite, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.08.186
2
A. Kumar et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx
and another is known as liquid state processing techniques. Aluminum matrix is used to produce various mechanical parts and electrical component because of their load bearing capability and thermo-electric conductivity [24,25]. In the present study aluminum matrix composites reinforced with 1 wt.% of SiC and (1 wt.%–2.5 wt.%) of TiC at an interval of 0.5 wt.% is fabricated by stir casting fabrication process. Microstructural properties are investigated with the help of optical microscopy at 100X magnification and density of composites is calculated by its mass and volume. Hardness of composites is calculated by Vickers hardness tester and wear tests were conducted on pin-on-disc wear and friction testing machine at room temperature. 2. Experimental Aluminum AA6063 alloy was used as matrix or base material (99% purity), SiC and TiC (average particle of 200 mesh, 99% purity) were used as reinforcement materials in particulate form. The chemical composition of Al-AA6063 alloy is shown in Table 1. SiC-TiC reinforced AMCs were prepared by the stir casting process. Table 2 shows the different compositions of Aluminum matrix composites along with the nomenclature of specimens. Mechanical stirrer with Silicon-carbide tip and graphite crucible were used in this fabrication process. Initially, the crucible is preheated at 400 °C for 20 min to remove the moisture content from the crucible. Aluminum alloy rods were melted in the crucible at 850 °C. To remove the moisture content reinforcement powders were preheated in the muffle furnace at 550 °C for 60 min. Stirring of aluminum melt was done at 350 rpm for 4 min and then preheated reinforcements were added in the molten matrix for stirring. The furnace temperature is raised upto 1000°C to ensure proper mixing of aluminum matrix with reinforcement particles. Stirring was done again at 1050 °C for 15 min at 400 rpm to ensure proper mixing and then the molten slurry is poured into the preheated cylindrical mold cavity for solidifying. To reduce the chilling effects of permanent metal mold and continue proper metal fluidity, mold was preheated. Five samples were prepared with different compositions. For testing and to remove the casting defects composites were machined on lathe machine. 3. Result and discussion 3.1. Optical microscopy The microstructure of composites was investigated on Dewinter optical microscopy at 100X magnification. The sample size for optical testing was 5 5 mm. Firstly, samples were polished with emery papers (200, 1000 and 2000 grade) then alumina polishing is done on double disc polishing machine. Fig. 1 shows microstructures of the AST02, AST03, AST04 and AST05. It is found that increase in reinforcement content improves the microstructure of composites. In figure (a) AST02 there are few particles of ceramic reinforcement and as reinforcement content is increased in figure (b) AST03 which shows more reinforcement particles with uniform dispersion. At higher reinforcement contents (c) AST04 and (d) AST05 uniform dispersion of reinforcement particles can be seen which helps to improve the mechanical and tribological properties of composites.
Table 2 Composition and Nomenclature of SiC–TiC reinforcement in AA6063 Al matrix. S. No.
Composition (by wt%)
Sample Code
1 2 3 4 5
100% Al 98% Al-1% SiC-1% TiC 97.5% Al-1% SiC-1.5% TiC 97% Al-1% SiC-2% TiC 96.5% Al-1% SiC-2.5% TiC
AST01 AST02 AST03 AST04 AST05
3.2. Density and hardness The density of materials depends on various factors such as shape, nature, orientation and size of reinforcement particles. Fig. 2 shows the combined bar graph of density and hardness at different compositions. It is found that with increase in reinforcement content density of composites decreases. Composites reinforced with SiC-TiC shows less density than the pure aluminum alloy. It is because of volatile nature of ceramics particles which helps to lower the densities of composites when reinforced in metals [26]. Samples AST05 shows less density than the pure sample AST01 which shows that AMCs reinforced with SiC-TiC can be used over Aluminium alloys in many engineering applications where less densities are required. Hardness of composites were tested on Vickers hardness tester with (5 20 mm) sample size at a constant load of 10 N. The Vickers hardness was performed on a polished sample with a constant load of 10 N. It’s found that increase in SiC-TiC reinforcement increases the hardness of the composites due to uniform dispersion of SiC-TiC in aluminum matrix which resist to deformation of material during mechanical characterization. For pure aluminum sample AST01, the Vickers hardness value is found out to be 49.8 HV. As reinforcement content increases improvement in hardness can be seen in AST03 which shows the hardness value of 64.6 HV. In composite material, reinforcement particles act as a bonding agent which increases the strength of materials [26]. Stronger bond between matrix and reinforcement increases hardness of materials. Maximum hardness is found for AST05 which shows the hardness value of 138 HV. 3.3. Wear Wear behavior of composites were investigated on a pin on disc wear and friction testing machine at room temperature without any lubrication on sample size of (20 10 mm) at different loads of 10 N, 20 N, 30 N and 40 N for 1 h Fig. 3 shows the wear rate of all samples at different loads. Test was conducted in dry condition. Wear rate was calculated by this formula,
wear rate ¼
V LD
ð1Þ
where V is the total volume of the specimen, L is load applied to the specimen at the time of the experiment and, D is sliding distance. It is found that wear rate for composition is increased with increase in load. At lower reinforcement contents wear rate is higher. As reinforcement content is increased wear rate of composite decreases. SiC and TiC particles are hard to deform during wear testing and they act as a lubricating film on the counter surface which helps to resist the wear of material. During the wear tests SiC and TiC
Table 1 Composition of Al-AA6063. Element
Aluminum
Si
Fe
Cu
Mn
Mg
Cr
Zn
Ti
%
99%
0.15%
0.20%
0.08%
0.08%
0.25%
0.08%
0.08%
0.08%
Please cite this article as: A. Kumar, M. Yeasin Arafath, P. Gupta et al., Microstructural and mechano-tribological behavior of Al reinforced SiC-TiC hybrid metal matrix composite, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.08.186
A. Kumar et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx
3
Fig. 1. Optical Micrograph of (a) AST02 (b) AST03 (c) AST04 (d) AST05 at 100 magnification.
Fig. 2. Density and Vicker Hardness bar graph for different samples.
are exposed to counter surface first and they prevent the matrix from further erosion. Maximum wear rate is found at 40 N for AST01. It is also found that wear rate is minimum at lower loads due to less coefficient of friction. 4. Conclusion In this present experimental study AA6063/SiC-TiC hybrid aluminum composites were fabricated by stir casting process. Microstructural, mechanical and tribological properties of composites were investigated. Based on the experimental results following conclusion can be drawn: Microstructure shows that there is uniform dispersion of reinforcement particles at higher reinforcement contents which improves the microstructure of composites.
Fig. 3. Wear rate of all samples at different loads.
Density of composites decreases with increase in reinforcement content due to volatile nature of ceramic particles. It is found that densities of composites are less than pure aluminum alloy. The minimum density is found for AST05 sample. Hardness of composites increases with increase in reinforcement content. Maximum hardness is found for AST05 which is 138HV. Reinforced composites resist the deformation of material due to hard nature of ceramic particles during the mechanical characterization which improves the hardness of composites. Wear rate of composites increases with increase in load. At higher loads wear rates of composites were higher due to higher coefficient of friction. At higher reinforcement content wear
Please cite this article as: A. Kumar, M. Yeasin Arafath, P. Gupta et al., Microstructural and mechano-tribological behavior of Al reinforced SiC-TiC hybrid metal matrix composite, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.08.186
4
A. Kumar et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx
rate is less because ceramic particles provide a lubricating film on counter surface which lowers the coefficient of friction. Hence, lowers the wear rate of composites. Further this study can be extended by using the advanced fabrication processes like plasma sintering and infiltration processes for more uniform distribution of reinforcement particles.
[12]
[13]
[14]
References [1] A. Jamwal, P. Prakash, D. Kumar, N. Singh, K.K. Sadasivuni, K. Harshit, P. Gupta, Microstructure, wear and corrosion characteristics of Cu matrix reinforced SiC–graphite hybrid composites, J. Compos. Mater. (2019), 0021998319832961. [2] K. Bandil, H. Vashisth, S. Kumar, L. Verma, A. Jamwal, D. Kumar, P. Gupta, Microstructural, mechanical and corrosion behaviour of Al–Si alloy reinforced with SiC metal matrix composite, J. Compos. Mater. (2019), 0021998319856679. [3] A. Jamwal, U.K. Vates, P. Gupta, A. Aggarwal, B.P. Sharma, Fabrication and characterization of Al 2 O 3–TiC-reinforced aluminum matrix composites, in: Advances in Industrial and Production Engineering, Springer, Singapore, 2019, pp. 349–356. [4] J. Hashim, L. Looney, M.S.J. Hashmi, The enhancement of wettability of SiC particles in cast aluminium matrix composites, J. Mater. Process. Technol. 119 (1–3) (2001) 329–335. [5] N. Natarajan, S. Vijayarangan, I. Rajendran, Wear behaviour of A356/25SiCp aluminium matrix composites sliding against automobile friction material, Wear 261 (7–8) (2006) 812–822. [6] S. Suresha, B.K. Sridhara, Wear characteristics of hybrid aluminium matrix composites reinforced with graphite and silicon carbide particulates, Compos. Sci. Technol. 70 (11) (2010) 1652–1659. [7] R. George, K.T. Kashyap, R. Rahul, S. Yamdagni, Strengthening in carbon nanotube/aluminium (CNT/Al) composites, Scripta Materialia 53 (10) (2005) 1159–1163. [8] P. Jha, P. Gupta, D. Kumar, O. Parkash, Synthesis and characterization of Fe– ZrO2 metal matrix composites, J. Compos. Mater. 48 (17) (2014) 2107–2115. [9] P. Garg, P. Gupta, D. Kumar, O. Parkash, Structural and mechanical properties of graphene reinforced aluminum matrix composites, J. Mater. Environ. Sci. 7 (5) (2016) 1461–1473. [10] P. Gupta, D. Kumar, O. Parkash, A.K. Jha, Effect of sintering on wear characteristics of Fe-Al2O3 metal matrix composites, Proc. Inst. Mech. Eng. Part J: J. Eng. Tribol. 228 (3) (2014) 362–368. [11] P. Gupta, D. Kumar, O.M. Parkash, A.K. Jha, Structural and mechanical behaviour of 5% Al 2 O 3-reinforced Fe metal matrix composites (MMCs)
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produced by powder metallurgy (P/M) Route, Bull. Mater. Sci. 36 (5) (2013) 859–868. P. Gupta, D. Kumar, M.A. Quraishi, O. Parkash, Corrosion behavior of Al2O3 reinforced Fe metal matrix nanocomposites produced by powder metallurgy technique, Adv. Sci. Eng. Med. 5 (4) (2013) 366–370. K.M. Shorowordi, T. Laoui, A.S.M.A. Haseeb, J.P. Celis, L. Froyen, Microstructure and interface characteristics of B4C, SiC and Al2O3 reinforced Al matrix composites: a comparative study, J. Mater. Process. Technol. 142 (3) (2003) 738–743. S.V. Nair, J.K. Tien, R.C. Bates, SiC-reinforced aluminium metal matrix composites, Int. Metals Rev. 30 (1) (1985) 275–290. I. Kerti, F. Toptan, Microstructural variations in cast B4C-reinforced aluminium matrix composites (AMCs), Mater. Lett. 62 (8–9) (2008) 1215–1218. A. Albiter, A. Contreras, M. Salazar, J.G. Gonzalez-Rodriguez, Corrosion behaviour of aluminium metal matrix composites reinforced with TiC processed by pressureless melt infiltration, J. Appl. Electrochem. 36 (3) (2006) 303–308. M.T. Guo, C.Y. Tsao, Tribological behavior of self-lubricating aluminium/ SiC/graphite hybrid composites synthesized by the semi-solid powderdensification method, Compos. Sci. Technol. 60 (1) (2000) 65–74. C.R. Bradbury, J.K. Gomon, L. Kollo, H. Kwon, M. Leparoux, Hardness of multi wall carbon nanotubes reinforced aluminium matrix composites, J. Alloy. Compd. 585 (2014) 362–367. N. Singh, S. Banerjee, O. Parkash, D. Kumar, Tribological and corrosion behavior of (100–x)(Fe70Ni30)-(x) ZrO2 composites synthesized by powder metallurgy, Mater. Chem. Phys. 205 (2018) 261–268. A. Saxena, N. Singh, D. Kumar, P. Gupta, Effect of ceramic reinforcement on the properties of metal matrix nanocomposites, Mater. Today Proc. 4 (4) (2017) 5561–5570. G.R. Cappleman, J.F. Watts, T.W. Clyne, The interface region in squeezeinfiltrated composites containing d-alumina fibre in an aluminium matrix, J. Mater. Sci. 20 (6) (1985) 2159–2168. M.K. Surappa, Aluminium matrix composites: challenges and opportunities, Sadhana 28 (1–2) (2003) 319–334. M.R. Ghomashchi, A. Vikhrov, Squeeze casting: an overview, J. Mater. Process. Technol. 101 (1–3) (2000) 1–9. E.M. Fayyad, A.M. Abdullah, M.K. Hassan, et al., Emerg. Mater. 1 (2018) 3, https://doi.org/10.1007/s42247-018-0010-4. A. Nagaraj, D. Govindaraj, M. Rajan, Emerg. Mater. 1 (2018) 25, https://doi.org/ 10.1007/s42247-018-0001-5. P. Garg, A. Jamwal, D. Kumar, K.K. Sadasivuni, M.C. Hussain, P. Gupta, Advance research progress in aluminum matrix composites: manufacturing and applications, J. Mater. Res. Technol. (2019), https://doi.org/10.1016/j. jmrt.2019.06.028.
Please cite this article as: A. Kumar, M. Yeasin Arafath, P. Gupta et al., Microstructural and mechano-tribological behavior of Al reinforced SiC-TiC hybrid metal matrix composite, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.08.186
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Materials Today: Proceedings journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/matpr
Microstructural and mechano-tribological behavior of Al reinforced SiC-TiC hybrid metal matrix composite Alip Kumar a, Md. Yeasin Arafath a, Pallav Gupta b, Devendra Kumar c, Chaudhery Mustansar Hussain d, Anbesh Jamwal a,⇑ a
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Alakh Prakash Goyal Shimla University, Himachal Pradesh, India Department of Mechanical Engineering, A.S.E.T., Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida 201313, India Department of Ceramic Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University), Varanasi 221005, India d Department of Chemistry and EVSC, New Jersey Institute of Technology, NJ, USA b c
a r t i c l e
i n f o
Article history: Received 28 June 2019 Received in revised form 1 August 2019 Accepted 19 August 2019 Available online xxxx Keywords: Metal matrix composites Stir casting Optical microscopy Density Hardness Wear
a b s t r a c t At present time aluminum matrix composites are widely used in automobile sectors, aerospace, and other engineering applications. The aim of this present study is to develop aluminum reinforced SiCTiC hybrid metal matrix composites by liquid stir casting process. It also investigates the effect of hybrid ceramic reinforcements on the microstructural, mechanical and tribological behavior of composites. In present study, for composites SiC content is fixed as 1 wt% and TiC content is varied as (1, 1.5, 2 and 2.5 wt%). It is found that increase in the reinforcement content of SiC-TiC particles increases the hardness and decreases the density of composites. Improvement in wear resistance is also seen at higher reinforcement content. It is expected that this composite is beneficial in the development of lightweight composites for aerospace applications. Ó 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International Conference on Mechanical and Energy Technologies.
1. Introduction In the last few decades, composite materials have been playing an important role in the development of many industries and engineering applications [1]. In past few years, materials have been used in transport, construction, communication and other engineering applications which are fulfilling the human needs [2]. Materials play a vital role in our daily needs and also in the development of any nation [3]. At present, the way in which materials are being used for the development of our daily needs is fairly enough to know the importance of engineering in our life [4]. With the rapid changes in manufacturing scenario among global industries, new forms of materials are to be developed [5]. The newly developed material has better properties than traditional materials. All these necessities can be fulfilled by composites [6]. Laterally, it has become popular because of its excellent properties (i.e., low density, light weight) and wide applications [7]. It is kind of advanced engineered materials; which have become mandatory
⇑ Corresponding author. E-mail address: [email protected] (A. Jamwal).
for automobile as well as aerospace industries and have also shown a profitable business by itself [8]. They are also being used in various industrials product and shipbuilding, new edge cutting tools [9]. The reinforcement of this engineered advance materials gets diapered into the matrix either in a continuous or discontinuous phase [10]. Composite materials are extensively used in journal bearing, cutting tools and variety of interior design component and other parts [11]. In, the past few decades, major research area was the development of harder as well as lightweight composites materials which is applicable in aircraft and automotive industries [12]. Among all aluminum matrix composites has gained popularity due to diversified properties. In aluminum metal matrix composite the mostly used reinforcement are Al2O3 [13], SiC [14], B4C [15], TiC [16], Graphite [17] and Carbon nanotubes [18]. In past studies it is reported that properties of aluminum matrix composites depends on the amount of reinforcement (wt.%), grain size, shape and processing techniques [19]. Aluminum matrix composites exhibit good strength and lower density than pure aluminum and its alloys. Aluminum matrix composite can be fabricated by powder metallurgy [20], infiltration processes [21], stir casting [22] and squeeze casting [23]. These manufacturing processes are divided into two categories. One is known as solid-state processing
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.08.186 2214-7853/Ó 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International Conference on Mechanical and Energy Technologies.
Please cite this article as: A. Kumar, M. Yeasin Arafath, P. Gupta et al., Microstructural and mechano-tribological behavior of Al reinforced SiC-TiC hybrid metal matrix composite, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.08.186
2
A. Kumar et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx
and another is known as liquid state processing techniques. Aluminum matrix is used to produce various mechanical parts and electrical component because of their load bearing capability and thermo-electric conductivity [24,25]. In the present study aluminum matrix composites reinforced with 1 wt.% of SiC and (1 wt.%–2.5 wt.%) of TiC at an interval of 0.5 wt.% is fabricated by stir casting fabrication process. Microstructural properties are investigated with the help of optical microscopy at 100X magnification and density of composites is calculated by its mass and volume. Hardness of composites is calculated by Vickers hardness tester and wear tests were conducted on pin-on-disc wear and friction testing machine at room temperature. 2. Experimental Aluminum AA6063 alloy was used as matrix or base material (99% purity), SiC and TiC (average particle of 200 mesh, 99% purity) were used as reinforcement materials in particulate form. The chemical composition of Al-AA6063 alloy is shown in Table 1. SiC-TiC reinforced AMCs were prepared by the stir casting process. Table 2 shows the different compositions of Aluminum matrix composites along with the nomenclature of specimens. Mechanical stirrer with Silicon-carbide tip and graphite crucible were used in this fabrication process. Initially, the crucible is preheated at 400 °C for 20 min to remove the moisture content from the crucible. Aluminum alloy rods were melted in the crucible at 850 °C. To remove the moisture content reinforcement powders were preheated in the muffle furnace at 550 °C for 60 min. Stirring of aluminum melt was done at 350 rpm for 4 min and then preheated reinforcements were added in the molten matrix for stirring. The furnace temperature is raised upto 1000°C to ensure proper mixing of aluminum matrix with reinforcement particles. Stirring was done again at 1050 °C for 15 min at 400 rpm to ensure proper mixing and then the molten slurry is poured into the preheated cylindrical mold cavity for solidifying. To reduce the chilling effects of permanent metal mold and continue proper metal fluidity, mold was preheated. Five samples were prepared with different compositions. For testing and to remove the casting defects composites were machined on lathe machine. 3. Result and discussion 3.1. Optical microscopy The microstructure of composites was investigated on Dewinter optical microscopy at 100X magnification. The sample size for optical testing was 5 5 mm. Firstly, samples were polished with emery papers (200, 1000 and 2000 grade) then alumina polishing is done on double disc polishing machine. Fig. 1 shows microstructures of the AST02, AST03, AST04 and AST05. It is found that increase in reinforcement content improves the microstructure of composites. In figure (a) AST02 there are few particles of ceramic reinforcement and as reinforcement content is increased in figure (b) AST03 which shows more reinforcement particles with uniform dispersion. At higher reinforcement contents (c) AST04 and (d) AST05 uniform dispersion of reinforcement particles can be seen which helps to improve the mechanical and tribological properties of composites.
Table 2 Composition and Nomenclature of SiC–TiC reinforcement in AA6063 Al matrix. S. No.
Composition (by wt%)
Sample Code
1 2 3 4 5
100% Al 98% Al-1% SiC-1% TiC 97.5% Al-1% SiC-1.5% TiC 97% Al-1% SiC-2% TiC 96.5% Al-1% SiC-2.5% TiC
AST01 AST02 AST03 AST04 AST05
3.2. Density and hardness The density of materials depends on various factors such as shape, nature, orientation and size of reinforcement particles. Fig. 2 shows the combined bar graph of density and hardness at different compositions. It is found that with increase in reinforcement content density of composites decreases. Composites reinforced with SiC-TiC shows less density than the pure aluminum alloy. It is because of volatile nature of ceramics particles which helps to lower the densities of composites when reinforced in metals [26]. Samples AST05 shows less density than the pure sample AST01 which shows that AMCs reinforced with SiC-TiC can be used over Aluminium alloys in many engineering applications where less densities are required. Hardness of composites were tested on Vickers hardness tester with (5 20 mm) sample size at a constant load of 10 N. The Vickers hardness was performed on a polished sample with a constant load of 10 N. It’s found that increase in SiC-TiC reinforcement increases the hardness of the composites due to uniform dispersion of SiC-TiC in aluminum matrix which resist to deformation of material during mechanical characterization. For pure aluminum sample AST01, the Vickers hardness value is found out to be 49.8 HV. As reinforcement content increases improvement in hardness can be seen in AST03 which shows the hardness value of 64.6 HV. In composite material, reinforcement particles act as a bonding agent which increases the strength of materials [26]. Stronger bond between matrix and reinforcement increases hardness of materials. Maximum hardness is found for AST05 which shows the hardness value of 138 HV. 3.3. Wear Wear behavior of composites were investigated on a pin on disc wear and friction testing machine at room temperature without any lubrication on sample size of (20 10 mm) at different loads of 10 N, 20 N, 30 N and 40 N for 1 h Fig. 3 shows the wear rate of all samples at different loads. Test was conducted in dry condition. Wear rate was calculated by this formula,
wear rate ¼
V LD
ð1Þ
where V is the total volume of the specimen, L is load applied to the specimen at the time of the experiment and, D is sliding distance. It is found that wear rate for composition is increased with increase in load. At lower reinforcement contents wear rate is higher. As reinforcement content is increased wear rate of composite decreases. SiC and TiC particles are hard to deform during wear testing and they act as a lubricating film on the counter surface which helps to resist the wear of material. During the wear tests SiC and TiC
Table 1 Composition of Al-AA6063. Element
Aluminum
Si
Fe
Cu
Mn
Mg
Cr
Zn
Ti
%
99%
0.15%
0.20%
0.08%
0.08%
0.25%
0.08%
0.08%
0.08%
Please cite this article as: A. Kumar, M. Yeasin Arafath, P. Gupta et al., Microstructural and mechano-tribological behavior of Al reinforced SiC-TiC hybrid metal matrix composite, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.08.186
A. Kumar et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx
3
Fig. 1. Optical Micrograph of (a) AST02 (b) AST03 (c) AST04 (d) AST05 at 100 magnification.
Fig. 2. Density and Vicker Hardness bar graph for different samples.
are exposed to counter surface first and they prevent the matrix from further erosion. Maximum wear rate is found at 40 N for AST01. It is also found that wear rate is minimum at lower loads due to less coefficient of friction. 4. Conclusion In this present experimental study AA6063/SiC-TiC hybrid aluminum composites were fabricated by stir casting process. Microstructural, mechanical and tribological properties of composites were investigated. Based on the experimental results following conclusion can be drawn: Microstructure shows that there is uniform dispersion of reinforcement particles at higher reinforcement contents which improves the microstructure of composites.
Fig. 3. Wear rate of all samples at different loads.
Density of composites decreases with increase in reinforcement content due to volatile nature of ceramic particles. It is found that densities of composites are less than pure aluminum alloy. The minimum density is found for AST05 sample. Hardness of composites increases with increase in reinforcement content. Maximum hardness is found for AST05 which is 138HV. Reinforced composites resist the deformation of material due to hard nature of ceramic particles during the mechanical characterization which improves the hardness of composites. Wear rate of composites increases with increase in load. At higher loads wear rates of composites were higher due to higher coefficient of friction. At higher reinforcement content wear
Please cite this article as: A. Kumar, M. Yeasin Arafath, P. Gupta et al., Microstructural and mechano-tribological behavior of Al reinforced SiC-TiC hybrid metal matrix composite, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.08.186
4
A. Kumar et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx
rate is less because ceramic particles provide a lubricating film on counter surface which lowers the coefficient of friction. Hence, lowers the wear rate of composites. Further this study can be extended by using the advanced fabrication processes like plasma sintering and infiltration processes for more uniform distribution of reinforcement particles.
[12]
[13]
[14]
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Please cite this article as: A. Kumar, M. Yeasin Arafath, P. Gupta et al., Microstructural and mechano-tribological behavior of Al reinforced SiC-TiC hybrid metal matrix composite, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.08.186