Hybrid Metal Matrix Composites Research Articles

Synthesis and Characterization of Al-Mg-Si Alloy based Hybrid Composite Reinforced with SiC and Graphite

The present work is carried out to investigate the mechanical properties of Al-Mg-Si alloy matrix based hybrid metal matrix composites (MMCs) using stir casting method owing to its popularity and large scale productions. SiC and graphite reinforcements were added each with 1%, 2%, 3% and 4% respectively to fabricate four composites specimens. X-ray diffractometer and scanning electron microscope were used for phase identification and microstructure characterization (SEM). Density, hardness, compressive strength, and wear rates were investigated for mechanical characterizations. The percentage of reinforcement present in the MMCs was discovered to be a factor in the mechanical characteristics of the manufactured hybrid composites. XRD revealed that reinforcements were duly present in the composites and no intermediate phases were observed. SEM indicated that the dispersion of reinforcement particles is uniform in the matrix and EDS mapping indicated that the reinforcements were embedded in the matrix. Density of the composite materials was found to decrease, hardness and compressive strength increases with an increase in reinforcement concentration showing improved wear resistance.

Tribological behaviour of aluminium based hybrid metal matrix composites (Al6061/B4C/ZrO2/SiC)

This research is aimed into the use of stir casting technique to make a variety of reinforced aluminium and non-reinforced hybrid composite materials. Aluminium Metal Matrix reinforced with different volume proportions of ZrO2 (2%, 4% and 6%) and SiC (4%, 8%, 12%) particulate by stir casting techniques. Al6061 and B4C are selected as a base material and ZrO2 and SiC utilized as a reinforced material. Actual density and theoretical density are calculated using the Archimedes principle and the rule of mixtures, respectively, and the porosity is measured in terms of theoretical and actual densities. It can be observed that the density of hybrid composites increases with the addition of reinforcement materials in aluminium matrix. The Pin-on-disc apparatus was used to conduct the wear experiment various sliding distance, sliding speed and applied loads. As results concluded that wear rate of Al6061 + 2%B4C + 6%ZrO2 + 12%SiC hybrid composites are smaller than that of unreinforced aluminium alloys. From the experimental analysis the increasing reinforcements of ZrO2 and SiC particle in aluminium metal matrix decreases the wear rate of prepared hybrid samples. Increasing the load on the abrasive disk reduces the abrasion rate on all models and decreases at a sliding speed of 4.5 m / s and then increases. However, the wear rate decreases with increasing sliding speed, while the depreciation rate increases with increasing sliding distance and load.

Stirring Squeeze of Aluminium Alloy metal matrix composites using optimal prediction process

Aluminum is regarded as a widely used material for manufacturing components in the industrial and other manufacturing sectors due to the necessity for lightweight and strong materials. But over the years, aluminium materials have been studied in an effort to improve their mechanical characteristics. Due to the incorporation of reinforcements, hybrid matrix composites are thus introduced to enhance the mechanical properties. In this study, nanoscale reinforcing particles are used to prepare an aluminium hybrid metal matrix composite. Aluminum is regarded as an effective manufacturing material, and metal production involves multiple levels of hybridization. In the current study, titanium carbide, aluminium oxide, and silicon nitride nanoparticles hybridise with aluminium alloy 2219 with 94 % of the original material. The proposed reinforced material is produced using the stirring-squeeze casting process, an innovative type of casting that is used to construct the reinforcements. The benefit of this squeeze casting method is that it has a lower defect rate than traditional casting methods. After fabrication, mechanical testing is done to check the manufactured specimens' qualities under loading circumstances. With an intender ball of 5 mm diameter and a 250 kg loading condition, the material's tensile strength and hardness are tested on a universal testing equipment. One of the simplest ways to determine the error rate of a result from experiments using machine learning is to use the statistical approach of analysis. So, in order to improve the mechanical properties, this research develops a statistical analytic method for optimising the process parameters. For optimising the stirring-squeeze casting process's process parameters, the meta-heuristic method is proposed. Finally, the comparison of experimental and expected results brings the result to a close. According to the comparison's findings, the suggested material composition has the highest level of mechanical qualities for producing components in a real-world setting.

Effect of (SiC+Gr) Addition on the Corrosion Behavior of Powder Metallurgy Copper MMC

Copper metal matrix composites are seeing tremendous growth due to their properties, which are suitable for a wide range of applications. The potential for combining reinforcements uniformly in the matrix via powder metallurgy is stimulating new research. In the present study, copper powder is used as the matrix and SiC and graphite are used as reinforcements for the fabrication of a hybrid metal matrix composite using the powder metallurgy route. Silicon Carbide (SiC) and graphite are used as reinforcements in copper Metal Matrix Composite (MMC). SiC is a ceramic material that increases the hardness of the composite by adding it as reinforcement, and graphite is a material that helps increase corrosion resistance when used as reinforcement. In each sample, SiC and graphite mixture reinforcement is in equal proportion, varying this composition from 0 to 10% of the weight percentage. These samples are investigated for Vickers hardness, densities, and electrochemical corrosion properties after being prepared by powder metallurgy with dimensions of 16 mm x 16 mm x 25 mm. The sample with 8% reinforcement showed good corrosion resistance and poor corrosion resistance for the 4% reinforcement sample. These composition samples were subjected to X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) characterizations, which showed good correlation for the hardness and corrosion test values.

Effect of graphene nano plateletson microstructural and wearbehavior of AA7075/Al2O3Nano composites

Aluminum hybrid metal matrix composites are a new generation of composites that comprises of aluminum as matrix and dual reinforcements. The primary reinforcement can be ceramic oxides, borides, nitrides, carbides and secondary reinforcement can be carbonaceous nano materials. In the present work hybrid composites are manufactured with AA7075 as matrix and Al2O3 nano particles and GNPs as reinforcements manufactured by powder metallurgyprocess. The microstructural characterization is performed by SEM and XRD analysis. The results indicated uniform distribution of GNPs and nano Al2O3 in the matrix. The wear behavior of the composites was studied for different compositions and wear rate has been evaluated. The microstructural investigation of worn out surfaces indicated abrasive and adhesive wear mechanisms.

Experimental study of microstructural and mechanical characterization of silicon-bronze copper alloy (C87600) hybrid composites reinforced with SiC-Gr particles by stir casting

In this study, the fabrication of copper-based hybrid metal matrix composites using the stir casting process was conducted. Ceramic particles i.e. SiC and graphite are considered as reinforcements for the fabrication of hybrid composites. The microstructure of composites was analyzed using Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy. Uniform dispersion of the reinforcements throughout the matrix has been validated from the FESEM micrographs. The Vickers microhardness test was performed to examine the microhardness and its variation with respect to the reinforcement content. It was found that the microhardness value was found to be increased with an increase in reinforcement content. The tensile test of the fabricated composites was conducted using a Universal testing machine, and its variation with respect to the reinforcements is analyzed. It was observed that the tensile strength of the copper hybrid composites was enhanced with the increase in the reinforcement content. The composites with 8% SiC and 1% Gr had exhibited a maximum increase of 34% in the ultimate tensile strength as compared to the base matrix alloy. It is highly anticipated that the fabricated composites with their enhanced strength are suitable for potential applications in various structural applications.

Investigation on Mechanical Properties of Al5052/BN Metal Matrix Composite

The paper aims to find the Mechanical properties of HNT and Boron Nitride, reinforced with Aluminium hybrid metal matrix composites. The aluminum matrix material are reinforced with different weight percentage of HNT(3%,5%,7%) and BN(2%,3%,4%).The hybrid matrix are fabricated through sir casting technique.The mechanical Properties of like hardness, tensile, impact and micro structure of the composites are examined. The hardness and tensile of the composite are increased with increase in weight percentage of boron nitride and HNT. Also the microstructure of the composites shows the clear distribution of the composites and XRD pattern shows the presence of reinforcement in the composites. The hardness and tensile strength increases when 7% of HNT and 4% of boron nitride are added towards the base materials.

Mechanical behavior and characterization of Al7075 reinforced with Al2O3 and TiC Hybrid metal matrix composite

The fabrication and analysis of Aluminium 7075 Metal Matrix composite is designed to set up the use of a substitute metal for aerospace applications. Aviation and car businesses are enthusiastic on presenting mixture metal grid composites in their segments because of their excellent mechanical and wear properties, prompting decrease in the weight underlying segments and energy prerequisite for driving. This research paper includes investigation of the mechanical properties of the Al7075 reinforced with 6 wt% of Aluminium Oxide and various weight percent (wt%) of Titanium Carbide (TiC) in micron level particles manufactured by stir casting technique. The examination of mechanical properties like hardness, tensile strength, impact strength (Charpy) was investigated. The microstructure concentrated by scanning electron microscope instruments is done to notice the kind of fortified particles conveyance in composite. Results from wear test showed that the wear rates of the pin on disc Al7075 alloy and composites increasing with applied load. The mechanical properties of the created composites are looked at and reasonable suggestions will be proposed. We additionally confronted imperatives to acquire the parts consistent with the ASTM testing norms.

Influence of TAC/Ti/Si3N4 on mechanical and corrosion performance of AA7075 alloy matrix composite processed by stir processing route

In modernistic years, Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs) are becoming enchanting in fields of aerospace, military, defence and automobile applications reason being they offer merit such as high strength to weight proportion, good tribological, good corrosion resistance, excellent fatigue and creep performance and good bending behaviour etc. In the current research, an attempt was made to synthesize AA7075 blended with distinct wt% of Titanium (Ti), Tantalum Carbide(TaC) and Silicon Nitride (Si3N4) multi hybrid MMCs were examined. Microstructural, flexural, corrosion and low cyclefatigue aspects of the developed multi hybrid MMCs were examined as per ASTM standard. The brittleness of Si3N4, TaC and Ti particulates structured with the interface betwixt matrix culminates in increment in the flexural strength of thecomposite. The bending analysis clearly shows that, TaC and Si3N4 are the major contributing materials for flexural aspect because the presence of hard ceramic particulates restricts the dislocation movement by providing additional strength. Microstructural analysis reveals the existence of reinforcements. Also, homogeneous dissemination and good interfacial bonding betwixt the matrix and reinforcement particulates were noticed. AA7075 reinforced with 1 wt% Ti, 6 wt% Si3N4 and 0.5 wt% TaC operated at higher load (1500 N) and higher number of cycles 14x103 cycles with a stable strain rate. Thenumber of cycles to failure was observed to be enhanced for the matured composites on account of an inconsequential percentage of induced plastic strain.

Impacts of carbon nano tubes (CNT) and boron carbide (B4C) particles on material properties of al 6061

In recent years, conventional materials are replaced with composites in particular aluminium were developed for enhanced material performance such as light weight, high strength and wear resistance etc. In this paper, aluminium hybrid metal-matrix composites (AHMC) are fabricated by stir casting technique with different compositions of carbon nano tubes (CNT) and boron carbide (B4C). This research work reports the tensile strength, wear behaviour, micro structural analysis of different specimens (Al 6061 with 3% CNT & 3% B4C, Al 6061 with 5% CNT & 3% B4C, Al 6061 with 7% CNT & 3% B4C & Al 6061 with 9% CNT & 3% B4C). From these four specimens, tensile strength and the hardness of the specimen 4 is 250 MPa and 52.692 BHN respectively. By comparing the values, specimen 4 gives higher value. In addition, EDAX analysis clearly ensures the even distribution of reinforcements in different specimens. The improvements in strength are noticed when increasing the composition of CNT in Al6061 hybrid matrix composites.

Investigation of Wear Properties of Microtitanium and CNT Particulates Reinforced Copper Hybrid Metal Matrix Composite

Abstract: Current engineering applications require materials that are stronger, lighter, and less expensive. Substituting composite structures for conventional metallic structures has many advantages because of higher specific stiffness and strength of composite materials. In the recent days, there is a huge demand for a lightweight material such as composites seems to be a promising solution to this arising demand. These materials have gained attention due to their applications in the field of automotive, aerospace, sports goods, medicines, and household appliances. This study represents the work done by various researchers and their methodologies. In contrast with most metallic materials, copper alloy has many remarkable properties, such as its excellent electrical and thermal conductivities, good strength, and formability, having outstanding resistance to corrosion and fatigue, and others. Due to their excellent properties, copper alloy is widely used in electrical, automotive, architecture, petrochemicals, transportation, and marine industry. In this work the different percentages of CNT and MicroTitanium are reinforced with pure Copper and are studied. The current work investigated the influence of the CNT and MicroTitanium on the wear behavior (tribological behavior) of developed hybrid metal matrix composite. The conventional liquid stir casting technique will be used for the fabrication of the composite materials. The composite was produced considering combination of0.5, 1, 1.5 percentages of CNT and 1, 3, 5 percentages of Micro-Titanium. The specimens were prepared as per ASTM standard size by turning and facing operations to conduct wear test. The specimens for investigation of wear were tested using pin on disk apparatus. Through the results, it is concluded that the hybrid MMC obtained has got better reduction in wear rate. The inclusion of CNT has played a major role in reducing the wear rate and addition of micro titanium has decreased the wear rate to some extent Keywords: Wear, Copper, Micro titanium, CNT, MMC

Drilling Parameters Analysis on In-Situ Al/B4C/Mica Hybrid Composite and an Integrated Optimization Approach Using Fuzzy Model and Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm

In-situ hybrid metal matrix composites were prepared by reinforcing AA6061 aluminium alloy with 10 wt.% of boron carbide (B4C) and 0 wt.% to 6 wt.% of mica. Machinability of the hybrid aluminium metal matrix composite was assessed by conducting drilling with varying input parameters. Surface texture of the hybrid composites and morphology of drill holes were examined through scanning electron microscope images. The influence of rotational speed, feed rate and % of mica reinforcement on thrust force and torque were studied and analysed. Statistical analysis and regression analysis were conducted to understand the significance of each input parameter. Reinforcement of mica is the key performance indicator in reducing the thrust force and torque in drilling of the selected material, irrespective of other parameter settings. Thrust force is minimum at mid-speed (2000 rpm) with the lowest feed rate (25 mm/min), but torque is minimum at highest speed (3000 rpm) with lowest feed rate (25 mm/min). Multi-objective optimization through a non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm has indicated that 1840 rpm of rotational speed, 25.3 mm/min of feed rate and 5.83% of mica reinforcement are the best parameters for obtaining the lowest thrust force of 339.68 N and torque of 68.98 N.m. Validation through experimental results confirms the predicted results with a negligible error (less than 0.1%). From the analysis and investigations, it is concluded that use of Al/10 wt.% B4C/5.83 wt.% mica composite is a good choice of material that comply with European Environmental Protection Directives: 2000/53/CE-ELV for the automotive sector. The energy and production cost of the components can be very much reduced if the found optimum drill parameters are adopted in the production.

Effect of Boron Carbide on wear resistance of graphite containing Al7029 Based Hybrid Composites and its Dry Sliding Wear Characterization Through Experimental, Response Surface Method and ANOVA

Composites are often chosen for tribological applications due to its tailored material properties. The development of hybrid metal matrix composites and the study of their wear behavior has been a prominent focus of materials science research. Present paper deals with fabrication of Al-7029/B4C/Gr hybrid composite using stir casting. Particle distribution and material phase are identified by SEM and XRD. Hardness of the composite increased to 101 BHN while base alloy with 63 BHN. Pin-on-disc Tribometer used to carry wear test and the experimentation conducted by considering three input wear control parameters: 15–35 N (load), 1.5–3.5 m/s (speed) and 200–600 m (distance). Addition of 6%B4C/3%Gr, wear rate of hybrid composites reduced. ANOVA confirmed that load as the most influencing parameter on wear rate. RSM results correlates with mean effect plots of ANOVA and experiments and found that the results are in good compliance. SEM graphs of worn surface confirms that more wear occurred with increased load.

Optimization of dry sliding wear behavior of aluminium-based hybrid MMC's using experimental and DOE methods

Due to its exceptional mechanical characteristics combined with lightweight and fuel-efficient materials, metal matrix composites (MMCs) have largely been developed for the automotive and aerospace industries. In this paper, an attempt was made to investigate the dry sliding wear behavior of aluminium-based hybrid MMC's through the experimental approach. The experiments were performed for three types of filler materials: Boron carbide (B4C), Molybdenum Di-sulphide (MoS2), and graphite (Gr) particulates of 50 μm were reinforced into aluminium-2219 matrix using stir casting technique. On the other hand, data computing is a trend in mechanical engineering and is increasing drastically in recent years. It has proved one of the most cost-efficient methods to identify the optimum results with a limited number of experiments. Hence, this research was carried, with an emphasis on optimization, utilizing the design of experiments (DOE) technique with specified parameters. For DOE, additional experiments were conducted based on full factorial design and then different analyses were performed such as ANOVA, regressions equation, and confirmation tests to examine the effect of parameters on the wear behavior of composites. Besides, the influence of wear parameters such as applied load (L), sliding speed (S), and sliding distance (S-D) on the wear loss were investigated. The current investigation realized that B4C particles in the matrix increases the wear resistance of MMC when compared to other selected materials of this study.

An investigation on dry sliding wear behavior of Al6061/ Titanium carbide/ Basalt hybrid metal matrix composites

Dry sliding wear plays an important role in selecting material for automotive and aerospace applications. Researchers have been exploring novel aluminum matrix composites (AMC), which offer minimum wear rate for various tribological applications. The present work involves multi-objective optimization for dry sliding wear behavior of Al6061 reinforced with 6 % of Titanium carbide and 4% of basalt hybrid metal matrix composites using principal component analysis (PCA)-based grey relational analysis (GRA). In this article, the effects of input variables of wear parameters such as applied load, sliding speed and sliding distance were investigated on different output responses, namely the wear rate, friction force and specific wear rate. Taguchi’s L9 orthogonal array with three-level settings was chosen for conducting experiments. Three output responses in each experiment were normalized into a weighted grey relational grade using grey relational analysis coupled with the principal component analysis. The analysis of variance indicated that sliding distance is the most influential parameter followed by load and sliding velocity that contributes to the quality characteristics. Optimal results have been verified through additional experiments.

Mechanical characterization of eggshell ash and boron carbide reinforced ZA-27 hybrid metal matrix composites

This study aimed at discovering the influence of low-cost eggshell ash (ESA) and boron carbide (B4C) addition on microstructure and mechanical characteristics of ZA-27 hybrid composites. Six different composites were fabricated utilizing the stir casting technique with different weight percentages of ESA and B4C particles varied from 0-5 wt.%. Composites were tested for density, hardness, compressive strength, tensile strength, and impact strength. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) were utilized for the characterization of composites. Microstructure examination using SEM exhibited homogeneously dispersed reinforcements in the matrix. ESA particles decreased the composite density by 3.12%, and after the addition of B4C particles, density was found to be increased but was still lower than the base ZA-27 alloy. The hardness, tensile and compressive strength of the composites increased with the addition of reinforcements. However, composite reinforced with maximum wt.% of B4C particles showed a decreasing trend. The impact strength of the composites decreased when compared with the base alloy, but the reduction was marginal. Improved hardness, tensile and compressive strength of the composites was attributed to homogeneously dispersed ESA and B4C particles in the matrix. Higher tensile strength resulted from strong interfacial bonding between reinforcements and metal matrix, and low impact strength was due to brittle failure and plastic deformation.

Tribological behaviour of lamb bone ash and boron carbide reinforced ZA-27 hybrid metal matrix composites under dry sliding conditions

This study aims to investigate the tribological behaviour of lamb bone ash (LBA) and boron carbide (B4C) reinforced ZA-27 hybrid metal matrix composites fabricated using a stir casting process. The weight percentage of LBA and B4C particles in the composites were varied from 0–5 wt%. The composites have been evaluated for density, porosity and microhardness before tribological testing. Dry sliding friction and wear behaviour of composites were studied on a pin-on-disc tribometer by varying load from 10–50 N at a fixed sliding speed of 1 m s−1. Also, to investigate the effect of sliding speed on friction and wear behaviour of composites, tests were carried out at 2 m s−1 and 3 m s−1 of sliding speed. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used for examining the microstructure and worn surface morphology of composite samples. SEM micrographs revealed the presence and homogeneous distribution of reinforcement particles, and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis confirmed the presence of LBA and B4C particles in the composites. Composites density decreased, and porosity increased with the addition of reinforcement particles. The microhardness of the 5 wt% reinforced LBA composite improved by 18.38%, whereas hybrid composite containing (2.5 wt% LBA + 2.5 wt% B4C) showed an improvement of 42% compared to the base alloy. The coefficient of friction (COF) and wear loss increased with the increase in load, whereas COF decreased and wear loss increased with the increase in sliding speed. Composites showed superior wear resistance even at higher loads and sliding speeds. SEM micrographs of worn surface revealed adhesion and abrasion type of wear mechanisms. Therefore, with the improvement in wear resistance this developed composite can be used as a bearing material over monolithic ZA-27 alloy in the automotive sector.

Mechanical and wear analysis of Al6061-SiC/Al2O3/B4C hybrid metal matrix composites using stir casting process

In this present study hybrid aluminium metal matrix composites (HAMMC) were prepared by employing stir casting technique at 725 °C. Reinforcements such as Alumina (Al2O3), Silicon carbide (SiC) and Boron carbide (B4C) of 44µ size were reinforced with base aluminium matrix Al-6061 T6 alloy. Wear test, Tensile test, Flexural test and Impact test were done on the hybrid aluminium metal matrix composites as per ASTM standards. It is observed that hybrid composite with 2 wt% each of SiC, Al2O3 and B4C has high tensile strength and wear strength. Composite with 6 wt% of B4C has second high tensile strength, hardness and impact strength when compared with rest of the hybrid composites because of its excellent mechanical properties. Porosity of the samples 1 and 2 is less than the value 2.3 which indicates greater uniformity of reinforcements in the matrix. Flexural strength and Hardness was studied and analysed. Morphological study of the hybrid composites was done using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) observed minimal cracks on the surface of the samples due to wear test.

Effect of Al2O3-MoS2 on hardness and wear loss of Al-6061 hybrid metal matrix composite

Aluminium Composites are presently conquering their massive practice in aerospace, marine, automobile and other industrial applications due to their vital properties such as better strength, light weight etc. The main Purpose the present research is to investigate the role of Al2O3-MoS2 on Al6061 Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs). Composites with varying weight percentages of reinforcements like Al2O3 (3, 6 and 9%) and MoS2 (3, 6 and 9%) manufactured by using stircasting method. The result shows that uniform dispersal of reinforcements with in the matrix. Increasing the wt. % of Al2O3-MoS2 in Al6061 leads to improve in hardness and exhibits the better wear resistance of the composites. SEM analysis reveals the Al6061 alloy shows the deepest and widest wear tracks and whereas in hybrid composite (Al6061/Al2O3/MoS2), width and depth of wear tracks are considerably smaller which leads to improve the wear resistance

Study on Dry Sliding Wear and Friction Behaviour of Al7068/Si3N4/BN Hybrid Composites.

Hybrid aluminium metal matrix composites have the potential to replace single reinforced aluminium metal matrix composites due to improved properties. Moreover, tribological performance is critical for these composites, as they have extensive application areas, such as the automotive, aerospace, marine and defence industries. The present work aims to establish the tribological characteristics of Al7068/Si3N4/BN hybrid metal matrix composites prepared by stir casting route and studied using a pin-on-disc apparatus under dry sliding conditions. The hybrid composite samples were prepared at various weight percentages (0, 5, 10) of Si3N4 and BN particles. To investigate the tribological performance of the prepared composites, the wear experiments were conducted by varying the load (20, 40 and 60 N), sliding velocity (1.5, 2.5 and 3.5 m/s) and sliding distance (500, 1000 and 1500 m). Wear experimental runs were carried out based on the plan of experiments proposed by Taguchi. The minimum wear rate was found with the composite material reinforced with 10 wt. % of Si3N4 and 5 wt. % of BN. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was employed to analyse the effect of process parameters on wear rate and coefficient of friction (COF). The ANOVA test revealed that the weight fraction of Si3N4 has more of a contribution percentage (36.60%) on wear rate, and load has more of a contribution percentage (29.73%) on COF. The worn-out surface of the wear test specimens was studied using its corresponding SEM micrograph and correlated with the dry sliding wear experiment results.