Tribological, corrosion, mechanical, and metallurgical behavior of clay and Al2O3-reinforced aluminum-based composite material

Abstract

Aluminum-based composite materials have garnered considerable attention in recent years owing to their outstanding mechanical and tribological properties. The integration of clay and Al2O3 into the aluminum matrix has notably elevated its tribological, corrosion, mechanical, and metallurgical characteristics. An examination of the metallurgical properties involved a thorough analysis of the material's microstructure and wettability. Notably, the composite material demonstrated enhanced wettability and a more uniformly distributed reinforcement, leading to improved mechanical attributes when incorporating 5% alumina and 5% clay particles. This composition resulted in heightened strength, improved hardness, and increased fatigue strength. Specifically, the addition of a mixture of ball-milled 5% alumina and 5% clay particles led to substantial improvements, with tensile strength, hardness, and fatigue strength increasing by approximately 40.49%, 44.11%, and 62.15%, respectively. However, this enhancement came at the cost of reduced toughness in aluminum, decreasing by about 46.66% following the addition of the ball-milled mixture. Tribological assessments, involving wear tests under varying loads and speeds, demonstrated that the inclusion of 5% clay and 5% Al2O3 substantially improved wear resistance. Furthermore, corrosion resistance was evaluated, revealing that the composite material exhibited enhanced corrosion resistance attributed to the passivation of the surface. Altogether, these findings underscore the promising potential of aluminum-based composite materials for various applications, particularly when tailored with specific ratios of alumina and clay particles.