Effect of reinforcement particles on the mechanical and wear properties of aluminium alloy composites: Review

Abstract

Aluminum Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs) are preferred over other traditional materials in aerospace, automotive, and marine applications due to their superior enhanced properties. A significant literature has been studied in this regard, and it has been found that processing conditions can be tuned to achieve homogeneous Al-composites structure. The incorporation of ceramic particles has been revealed to be necessary for these composites to achieve the required strength and hardness. Additionally, using agro/industrial waste materials as additional reinforcement, such as fly ash, red mud, and rice husk ash, reduces the density of composites without compromising mechanical and wear characteristics. The addition of soft reinforcements to hard reinforcements reduces the brittleness of composites, according to the literature review. It has been found that incorporating solid lubricants into these composites aids in the development of a protective tribolayer at the interface, minimising wear and plastic deformation. Overall, the study indicates that Al-based hybrid composites offer a lot of potential as a replacement for ceramic reinforced composites and unreinforced Al-alloys in a variety of automotive applications that need low cost, high strength-to-weight ratio, and improved wear resistance. In this study, an attempt is made to combine various aspects of the mechanical and wear behaviour of Al-MMCs, as well as the prediction of the Mechanical and Tribological properties of Aluminum MMCs.