Dry sliding wear and microstructural behavior of stir-cast Al6061-based composite reinforced with cerium oxide and graphene nanoplatelets

Abstract

The aluminum alloys possess high strength, ductility, castability, wear, and corrosion resistance. Due to such promising properties, aluminum alloy has wide applications in the aerospace and automotive industries. The present study, focused on the dry wear test of stir-cast hybrid aluminum metal matrix nano-composite (HAMNCs), fabricated using Al6061 (base alloy), graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs), and cerium oxide (CeO2). The reinforcements are added during stir casting in 1 to 3 weight percentages. The ASTM G99 standard was used to prepare the wear test specimens. The prepared test specimens were tested using pin-on-disc apparatus at four different loads (15 N, 30 N, 45 N, and 60 N). The worn-out surfaces are analyzed using the scanning electron microscope (SEM). It is found that the wear resistance of the hybrid nano-composite was enhanced with the addition of reinforcements. The lowest wear rate of 0.303 mm3/N-m was achieved with (3 wt% GNPs + 3 wt% CeO2) reinforcement in Al-6061 alloy. The coarser grain size and uniform dispersion were observed after examining the optical and SEM micrographs of the specimens, respectively. In future research work, the authors will expand this work by carrying out wear tests for the same pair at actual working settings and the same will be reported separately in subsequent research papers.