Enhancing wear resistance in Al-7075 composites through conventional mixing and casting techniques

Abstract

Aluminium 7075 alloy composite are highly sought after materials because of their superior strength, light weight and exhibiting enhanced tribological characteristics. An electric resistance furnace and the metal die process were used to develop this aluminium (Al 7075) alloy hybrid composites, with reinforcing provided by E-glass short fibres and aluminium oxide (Al2O3) particulates. The Al 7075 alloy composites have been cast by employing stirring technique at various weight percentages of E-glass short fibres (2 %, 4 %, 6 %, and 8 %) and Al2O3 particles (3 %, 6 %, 9 %, and 12 %). Microscopic examination demonstrates that Al2O3 particle distribution within Aluminium matrix has been uniform. Hardness of the in-situ Al–Al2O3-E-glass-based composites rose by 10.58 %, 22.35 %, 50.58 %, and 41.17 % in comparison to its base alloy. Tensile strength of the 2 to 8 wt% E-glass with 3–12 wt% Al2O3 stir-cast composites increased by 9.08 %, 15.91 %, 19.09 %, and 7.27 % when compared with the aluminium matrix, whereas ductility reduced by 8.9 %, 12.5 %, 18.75 %, and 25 %. An experiment on wear rate was carried out using a pin-on-disk benchtop test equipment. The examination was performed at varying weights and sliding speeds, and the resulted demonstrated that composite materials exhibit higher wear resistance than Al matrix. Furthermore, the presence of Al2O3 and E-glass resulted in lower wear loss across all applied loads and sliding velocities. Lower wear rates in these composites were attributed to hardness and the interfacial bonding between the Al alloy and the in-situ reinforcement.