Optimal Material Selection for Ship Body Based on Fabricated Zirconium Dioxide/ Silicon Carbide Filled Aluminium Hybrid Metal Alloy Composites Using Novel Fuzzy Based Preference Selection Index

Abstract

Fabrication and selection of optimal material with diverse properties for ship body is often a troublesome and difficult task, as inadequate selection of materials may result in improper functioning and failure of the components at any stage during its functioning. To this end, this paper presents a novel hybrid fuzzy Preference Selection Method (f-PSI) method for selection of optimal alternative ship body material based on physical, mechanical and corrosion characteristics of a novel hybrid aluminium metal alloy composites. Four hybrids aluminium alloy (AL7075) composites are fabricated through stir casting method by reinforcing varying quantity of zirconium dioxide (2%, 4% and 6%) and silicon carbide (3%, 6% and 9%). The physical characterization results show that void contents and density continuously increases with increase in the wt.% of the reinforcement. The mechanical characterization and fractography analysis results confirms upturn in hardness, ultimate tensile strength, flexural strength and impact strength up to 10% wt. of reinforcement and decreases for 15% wt. of reinforcement. The corrosion characterization and microstructural analysis show that corrosion rate decreases considerably up to 10% wt. of reinforcement and increase after that due to the precipitation of carbide particles along the grain boundary region of hybrid metal alloy composite. For validation and robustness of the proposed method, sensitivity analysis is performed, and comparison is performed with already available fuzzy TOPSIS and fuzzy VIKOR methods. Seven evaluation criteria such as void content, density, micro-hardness, ultimate tensile strength, flexural strength, impact strength and corrosion rate are considered in the study to choose the best material for ship body. From the analysis of results, it was found that A-2 (having 4 wt.% ZrO2 and 6 wt.% SiC as reinforcement) alternative material possesses the best combination of all the properties for the given ship body application.