Investigations on wear behaviour of Al 6061-GNP metal matrix composites by using Taguchi L<SUB align="right">16 approach

Abstract

High strength Al 6061 metal matrix composites with graphene in different weight percentages were fabricated through stir-casting followed by equal channel angular pressing. Dry sliding wear tests were conducted as per Taguchi-based L16 orthogonal array with control factors such as: 1) reinforcement (wt. %); 2) load (N); 3) sliding speed (m/sec); 4) sliding distance (m). Wear rate and coefficient of friction (COF) was the response characteristics studied. Subsequently, analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied to evaluate the significance of each control factor on the response characteristics. Reinforcement and load were identified as the highly influencing significant parameters on the wear rate and COF using ANOVA analysis. Furthermore, a confirmation test was also performed to verify the experimental results. Analysis of SEM of the worn surface reveals that abrasive and oxidation were the dominant wear mechanisms during the tribo-test of Al 6061-graphene composites.