Mechanical and wear behavior of Al 7075/Al2O3/SiC/mg metal matrix nanocomposite by liquid state process

Abstract

Hybrid composites with aluminum matrix and non-metallic reinforcements are identifying extensive applications in automobile, aircraft, and military industries due to their high strength-to-volume ratio, corrosion resistance, excellent machinability, wear resistance, high thermal conductivity, etc. Nanocomposite materials are usually selected for structural applications since they possess desirable association of mechanical properties. The hybrid metal matrix nanocomposite development has come to be the most crucial area of material science engineering. In the present study, the Al 7075 is reinforced with 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0 wt.% of (Al2O3 + SiC) and 1 wt.% of magnesium (Mg) to manufacture the hybrid composite. Magnesium (Mg) is mainly used to increase the wettability of the nanocomposites. The present research is focused on determining the mechanical and wear properties of Al 7075 in the existence of Al2O3 (20–30 nm), SiC (50 nm), and magnesium (micro). The compositions are increased from 1 to 4 wt.%, and stir casting method are used for the fabrication of aluminum metal matrix nanocomposites. The mechanical characteristics of metal matrix composites such as tensile strength, compression strength, and hardness test are studied by carrying out experiments on the computerized universal testing machine and Vickers hardness equipment. The microhardness, compression strength, and tensile strength of aluminum 7075 alloy increases by incorporating Al2O3and SiC reinforcements. Wear analysis was done to examine the effect of SiC and Al2O3 ceramic particles using a pin on disc apparatus. Worn out areas of the specimens were analyzed by SEM, energy dispersive analysis X-ray (EDAX), and XRD analysis.