Mechanical Behavior in Tungsten Carbide-Reinforced Aluminum Composites

Abstract

In rubbing components, the wear property of the material is found to be a significant consideration. To enhance the wear property of Aluminum (Al), which is most widely used for its better strength to weight ratio, Tungsten Carbide (WC), which is highly abrasive in nature, is reinforced in different weight fractions of aluminum (2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10%) to form a metal matrix composite (MMC) by fabricating through powder metallurgy and stir casting techniques. The specimens surface topologies were studied for the dispersion of WC in Al by performing Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis, the tests for wear and hardness were performed and the results were compared for both the fabrication techniques by checking the variation of results, if any, which is mainly dependent on the dispersion of tungsten carbide in aluminum. Eventually, it was investigated that the wear property of the specimens fabricated through stir casting technique was increased up to 7.5% and declined after that, whereas the wear property got increased up to 10% when fabricated through powder metallurgy technique. This is quite evident that the WC dispersion in Al is the prime factor enhancing the properties, where powder metallurgy proved to have better dispersion over stir casting technique.