Parametric study of eco-friendly reinforcements on aluminium based hybrid MMC using Taguchi approach

Abstract

ABSTRACT Aluminum metal alloys are the most commonly used for the selection of the base matrix because of their lightweight, high strength to weight ratio, anti-corrosive properties, good resistance to fatigue, and large-scale availability. The addition of reinforcements into the metallic matrix is to improve the overall physical, mechanical, chemical, and tribological properties at ambient temperature. In this context, if eco-friendly reinforcement materials are used for the fabrication of hybrid composite added more advantageous outcomes in the field of material as well as ecological sciences. Therefore, in this presented paper, an investigation on Al7075-T6/Graphite powder/Waste tire rubber powder/and S-glass fiber particles based eco-designed hybrid aluminum metal matrix composites (AMMCs) synthesized through sir casting route for lightweight and high strength applications in automotive and avionics sectors. During the morphological study, the homogenous distribution of reinforcements with fine grain boundaries over the base matrix is identified via the optical microscope technique. Furthermore, optimization of results is carried out using the Taguchi approach and analysis of variance. Results reveal that the micro-hardness and surface roughness of fabricated hybrid composite (i.e. sample no.4) is significantly increased (up to 37.93%), and slightly decreased (up to 2.86%), respectively, as compared with the unreinforced base matrix.