Studies on Wear Behaviour of Coated RHA-TIO2-LM24 Aluminium Alloy Composite

Abstract

Liquid metallurgy method based aluminium matrix composites (AMCs) are extensively utilized in diverse engineering applications including shipbuilding, structural, non-structural, automotive, and aerospace owing to their superior strength, weightless, low density, excellent corrosion, and wear resistance. In the present research work, liquid state technique is employed to prepare the LM4/RHA/TiO2 composites containing four different mass proportion of RHA and TiO2. The weight proportion of reinforcements ie RHA-1,3&5 and TiO2 2,5&6 respectively.From the dry sliding wear studies, it is evident that the incorporation of RHA and TiO2 particles into the LM24 aluminium matrix alloy increases the wear resistance properties up to 45% as compared with the dry sliding behaviour of pure aluminium LM4 alloy. Dry sliding wear results revealed that the parameters like varying weight percentage, sliding speed, and applied load are the direct impact on the wear behaviour of the hybrid composites. A reduction of up to 34 % wear rate was observed by incorporation of 5% of RHA and 1% & 6 %of TiO2 particles as compared with the remaining percentage of reinforcements. The developed Coated RHA-TIO2 -LM24 aluminum alloy composite exhibits excellent mechanical properties, can be used in long-term applications in which saving weight is an important feature, such applications include and automotive engine parts and aerospace industry. In automotive industry, it can be used for making Brake disc, Turbo-compressors, Pump supporting parts, rear axle, differential housing.