Numerical simulation of linear reciprocating wear mechanism of hybrid aluminum metal matrix composite using finite element method

Abstract

This work aims to analyze the wear properties of the hybrid aluminum metal matrix composites (HAMMCs) using finite element analysis (FEA). A dry sliding linear reciprocating wear mechanism is analyzed using ANSYS 19.1. Aluminum 7075 alloy and HAMMC reinforced with ZrB2 (1, 3, and 5 wt.%) and fly ash (2 wt.%) is taken as sample material. A steel ball (EN 52100) is utilized as a counterpart in the dry sliding wear properties study. The deformation of the steel ball during the wear process is assumed to be negligible. Under various circumstances, a 3D point-to-surface connection is built to analyze the dry sliding wear process. The wear depth, contact pressure, and wear volume are analyzed using FEA. The analytical results are compared with the experimental results with the help of ANSYS to analyze the process parameters. The ANOVA analysis is employed for optimization, which exhibits that the load had the most significant impact on the material’s wear rate, followed by the material’s composition and temperature. The wear depth, wear rate, and contact pressure at optimum input parameters for the HAMMCs are 0.47 μm, 11.31 × 10−6 mm3 Nm−1, and 0.33 MPa, respectively. The Simulated results support the experimental results, and the average error is 9.82%.