High‐Stress Abrasive Wear Analysis of in Situ TiC‐Reinforced Zinc–Aluminum Composites Using Integrated Taguchi–TOPSIS Method

Abstract

This study involves the preparation of in situ TiC‐reinforced zinc–aluminum alloy (ZA‐37) composites and analysis of their high‐stress abrasive wear behavior. The wear rate, friction coefficient, and frictional heating of the composites are investigated using a pin‐on‐disk wear tester. The experiments are carried out based on a plan created using Taguchi's technique. TOPSIS methodologies are used to determine the effects of applied load, abrasion distances, TiC contents on wear rate, coefficient of friction, and frictional heating throughout the wearing process. The results reveal that the composite with 10 wt% TiC exhibits the highest level of wear resistance among all samples. It is found that ploughing, microcutting, and delamination were the dominant wear mechanisms in general. However, in the optimum combination, mild abrasion and microploughing prevail. As per TOPSIS analysis, the reinforcement content affects the wear rate of test materials the most followed by applied load and abrading distance. Under the optimal combination of parameters, the in situ TiC composite has the potential of replacing the conventional gray cast iron utilized in bearing applications.