Experimental Investigation of Friction Coefficient of Magnesium Alloy Developed Through Friction Stir Processing with PKS Ash Powder Particles

Abstract

Magnesium metal alloys have application in a variety of engineering field. The inclusion of a number of metal particles into pure magnesium to improve its properties has been on the rise. The method of inclusion has gone pass the conventional powder metallurgy or stir casting method. In the current study, friction stir processing (FSP) was used for the embedment of palm kernel shell (PKS) ash particle into a magnesium substrate. Microstructure analysis of the developed composite showed a well-distributed PKS ash particles into the magnesium metal matrix. The Vickers hardness test shows an improvement on the hardness of the developed surface composite, especially at the middle and end of the specimen with respective values of 62.65 and 63.27 when compared to that of the base metal. Friction test was done under various loading of 1 and 10 N at a constant speed and relative humidity of 70%. The results revealed mean coefficient of friction of 0.857 and 0.478 for 1 N and 10 N loads, respectively. Friction stir processing proves to be an adequate technique of improving the surface properties of magnesium alloy when using PKs ash powder as reinforcement.