Processing and characterization of mechanical and wear behavior of Al7075 reinforced with B4C and nano graphene hybrid composite

Abstract

The present investigation aims to establish the mechanical and wear behavior of Aluminum 7075 (Al7075) reinforced with Boron Carbide (B4C) (28 μm particle size) and Graphene (Gr) nano Particle (100 nm particle size) composites. These composites were prepared by stir casting process and also based on 5, 10 and 15 weight percentages (wt%) of B4C particles and 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 wt% of Gr. Al7075 is reinforced with B4C and Gr particles for production of MMC. The mechanical properties like tensile strength, hardness, flexural, impact test and also wear properties like coefficient of friction and wear rate were investigated. The test results revealed that the tensile strength, flexural strength and hardness increased with increasing the wt% of B4C and Gr along with increase in toughness up to certain limits (10% B4C). Wear rate noticed with Gr reinforced with Al7075%-10%B4C composite is lower compared to other Al6061%-10%B4C-Gr with various Wt% composites. On comparison, the Al7075%-10%B4C-0.2%Gr composite shows better wear rate compared to other composites. TGA/DTA analysis shows that increase in % of B4C and Gr 17% increased the ignition period of the composites. The coefficient of friction and the specific wear rate were obtained in terms of sliding distance at various loads in the range of 5 N, 10 N and15 N. It was found that when B4C content in composites increase, the wear resistance also increases monotonically with hardness. In addition, the hybridization of two reinforcements enhanced the wear resistance of composites, especially in case of high sliding speeds.