Investigating the mechanical and tribological properties of aluminium metal matrix composite reinforced with rice husk ash and aluminium oxide

Abstract

The present study investigates various mechanical properties of aluminium matrix composites (AMCs) reinforced with aluminium oxide and rice husk ash. Stir casting method was applied to produce composites reinforced with different amounts (2 wt. %, 4 wt. %, 6 wt. % and 8 wt. %) of rice husk ash particles and aluminium oxide. Mechanical properties such as micro hardness, tensile strength and wear rate have been examined. Pin-on disc apparatus is used for wear characteristics of the composites at load of 9.8 N, sliding velocity 1.5 m/s and sliding distance of 1,000 metres. Tensile test is performed on the universal testing machine. SEM and EDS were conducted to evaluate the chemical composition of RHA. It has been demonstrated that the increase in reinforcement content shows significant increase in mechanical properties of AMC. Further, rice husk ash shows better results in mechanical properties as well as in wear characteristics comparatively to aluminium oxide.