Optimization of squeeze casting process parameters for the production of Al composite reinforced with bone powder

Abstract

Al6061 alloy is most commonly used in automotive, marine, and aerospace applications to reduce weight and improve the strength of the composite. Al6061 alloy is a precipitation-hardened aluminium alloy used as a matrix material. Beef bone is a bio-waste which pollutes the environment and the people who live in the vicinity of its manufacturing and disposal sites. Bio-waste has been used in a variety of ways by researchers in recent years, including activated carbon, water purification, reinforcement in composites, fillers, medicines, food products and additives etc. Recycled beef bones that had been abandoned as waste were collected, cleaned, and ground into a fine powder with a particle size ranges between 5 and 50 µm and used as reinforcement to produce the Al composite. Because, beef bone has good tensile and compression strength and is light in weight, which helps improve the strength without much increase in cost of the Al composite. The aluminium composite are fabricated using squeeze casting process and the design of experiment based on Taguchi design are imposed to produce the high quality Al composite. The aluminium composite is fabricated and nine samples were successfully obtained for testing and analysis. The prepared substrates are analysed for hardness and tensile strength. Based on the experimental run the optimized process parameter conditions are found also regression equation is provided for the design. The optimized process parameters are found for melt temperature, squeeze pressure, reinforcement percentage, stirring speed as 700 °C, 100 MPa, 5%, 600 rpm respectively. Also, the highest contribution for improving the strength of the material is percentage of reinforcement.