Evaluation of Mechanical and Wear Properties of Ceramic and Inorganic compounds based Composite via PM route and Optimization through Robust design technique

The present research study investigates the Mechanical, Physical, and Tribological properties of powder metallurgy (PM) produced AA6063 alloy reinforced with silicon nitride (Si3N4) and copper nitrate (CuN2O6). Incorporation of Si3N4 & CuN2O6 reinforcement in matrix material ranged from 6 to 12 % Si3N4 in a 6-step interval and 2 to 6 %CuN2O6 in a two-step interval. The characterizations were made on the PM-produced specimens using OM, EDS, XRD, and Hardness. The reinforcement particles were uniformly distributed, which was attributed to a homogeneous mixer of matrix and reinforcements. The test findings show that as the reinforcing percentage of the ceramic and inorganic compound increases, properties such as hardness and density rise considerably and monolithically. The existence of phases such as Si3N4 and CuN2O6 reinforcement in the AA6063 matrix was ensured by X-ray diffraction. The hardness of AA6063/12%Si3N4/6%CuN2O6 increased by 88% over the base alloy due to a mismatch in thermal expansion between the Al matrix and reinforcement, which causes massive internal stress, causing the aluminium matrix to plastically deform to accommodate the reduced volume expansion of Si3N4 and CuN2O6 particles. The dry sliding wear test was determined using the Pin-on-Disc method, and the results show that the composite is more wear-resistant. An orthogonal array and analysis of variance were utilized to evaluate the solution, including parameters using the Taguchi robust design technique. The weight percentage of the Si3N4/CuN2O6 compound and the relationship between weight % of reinforcement and applied load had the most significant impact on composite wear resistance. The produced composite's wear morphology was studied using images from a scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive spectroscopy.

Study of wear losses and frictional heat dissipation during dry sliding wear of ilmenite reinforced Al-alloy composite

In this investigation, ilmenite mineral reinforced Al–Si alloy matrix composite (AMC) has been developed. The wear behavior of the developed composites has been studied for their end application as break drum material to replace cast iron used in automobile industries. Ilmenite is one of the major sea beach mineral. AMC has been prepared through a low-cost stir-casting method in which 1 wt.% graphite (Gr)/tin (Sn) as a solid lubricant has been added during the fabrication of composites itself. The optical micrographs of AMC revealed uniform distribution of ilmenite particles throughout the matrix. The wear rate of the base LM30 alloy containing 17% Si and the developed composites has been studied at different normal loads at a constant velocity of 1.6 m.s−1. Optimized data revealed a significant wear rate reduction due to solid lubrication provided by Gr/Sn (∼32%). The wear rate of composites has been compared with traditional cast iron used in brake drums under similar experimental conditions. Composites exhibit nearly identical wear behavior throughout the test. The microstructural study of wear track and debris revealed that Sn and Gr used as solid lubricants played a vital role in reducing the wear loss of the prepared composites. A theoretical study of frictional heat generated during dry sliding and its dissipation has been done to establish the operative wear mechanism in the composites.

Role of Reinforcement Particle Size and Its Dispersion on Room Temperature Dry Sliding Wear of AA7075/TiB2 Composites

Aluminum alloy based metal matrix composites (AMCs) are widely accepted material in the aerospace, automotive, military, and defence applications due to lightweight and high strength. For tribological applications, high-performance wear-resistant materials like AMCs are the candidate materials. In this investigation, AA7075 based composites with different size TiB2 particles were fabricated using in-situ and ultrasound casting techniques (UST). The AMCs were tested using pin-on-disc tribo tester and the effects of different sized TiB2 particles on wear resistance of AA7075/TiB2 composites have been investigated. The wear resistance of AA7075/TiB2 composite fabricated using UST is found to significantly improve when compared to base alloy and also in-situ composite due to refinement in the particle size, reduced the agglomeration, and improved the distribution of TiB2 particles. The test results also revealed the existence of a mixture of mechanically mixed Al–Zn–Fe intermetallic alloy and oxides of these elements.

Prediction of Surface Roughness During Dry Sliding Wear

Due to the relatively low strength and poor wear resistance of unalloyed titanium and its good mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, and biocompatibility. Ti6Al4V has been extensively used in various type of application including aerospace, biomedical and offshore industries. The goal of this research is to enhance the surface properties of the high strength alloys are examine such as Ti6Al4V pin sliding against Al2O3disc, due to the various surfaces roughness parameters. The COF and the wear rate were found to be lower at higher applied load due to higher frictional heating leading to thermal oxidation and thereby formation of several mm thick tribo-layers on the worn surfaces. Characterization of the tribological sample was performed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX) to ensure that the wear pattern and debris morphologies of the Ti6Al4V and alumina disks were distinct, suggesting a surface roughness value determined by 3D profilometer at various load and sliding speed of 0.01ms-1.

“An Investigation of wear behavior of TiO2 nanoparticles mixed with Hybrid powder coating on MS material”

To improve the wear resistance of the hybrid powder coating, TiO2 nanoparticles was hot mixed to form a homogenous mixture with the powder in the range varying wt. dry sliding wear test conducted to determine the wear resistance. The experiments were design according to Taguchi L9 array to find the optimum nanoparticles content required to minimize the wear rate of the coating. ANOVA was used to determine the effect of the parameters on wear rate. It showed that reinforcement has the maximum contribution on the wear rate of the coating as compared to load and frequency. From the graph of means optimum parametric values was obtained at 2 % wt of reinforcement, 2 N load and 2 Hz frequency. The wear rate decrease with the increase in reinforcement. Keywords: Taguchi Method, Tribometer, Hybrid powder, TiO2, Wear Rate.

Physical, mechanical and dry sliding wear properties of non-woven viscose fabric epoxy-based polymer composites: An optimization study

Polymer-based composites have been widely used in the enhanced tribological technologies of various automobile, aerospace industry, sports, etc. The epoxy-based polymer composites reinforced with glass fiber have significantly improved the wear inhibitors and ultimate strength along with ultra-low density than other available materials. This current research aims to fabricate a variation of such non-woven viscose-based polymer composites for various weight fractions (100–400 GSM) with a constant fiber loading of 30 wt% and subsequently analyze its physical, mechanical, and tribological properties under various operating parameters. The density of the fabricated composite exhibits an increase of magnitude with an increase in weight fraction. The composites consist of 400 GSM fabric showing a higher tensile, impact, flexural strength, hardness, and inter lamina shear strength (ILSS). A pin-on-disc wear set-up held dry sliding wear tests of various nonwoven viscose fabric-based composites under various operating parameters like sliding velocity, sliding distance, area density, and normal load. A Taguchi-based L16 orthogonal array design was utilized to estimate the optimal behavior for maximum wear resistance for operating conditions. The result reveals that the normal load over the composite contributes the highest towards wear on a composite compared to area density, sliding velocity, and distance. The wear phenomena have been verified with SEM micrographs to characterize various wear phenomena like fiber rapture, ploughing, micro-cracks, and wear lines.

Sliding Wear Behavior of High-Temperature Vacuum-Brazed WC-Co-NiP Functional Composite Coatings

The present study aimed to investigate the tribological behavior of high-temperature vacuum-brazed WC-Co-NiP functional coatings deposited on 16MnCr5 case hardening steel. Dry sliding wear resistance was evaluated using a non-conformal ball-on-disk arrangement, at room temperature against 100Cr6 and WC-Co static partners, respectively. Morphological, microstructural, and chemical composition analyses showed a complex, phased structure composed of tungsten carbide, nickel, and hard cobalt-based η-structure. In the testing conditions, the coefficient of friction against 100Cr6 and WC-Co counterparts entered a steady-state value after approximately 1000 m and 400 m, respectively. The wear track analysis revealed phenomena of particles trapped between the sliding bodies, as well as gradual removal of asperities. The calculations of the wear rates proved that the values were strongly influenced by properties of the sliding system, such as crystal structure, stress discontinuities, hardness, and material homogeneity.