In this paper, aluminium metal matrix composites were synthesized through in situ process in which aluminium alloy 5052 (AA5052) and titanium carbide were used as matrix and reinforcement materials, respectively. The microstructural characterization and formation of stable TiC phases were analyzed with the help of field emission scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction analysis, respectively. The 9% TiC-reinforced MMCs had shown a considerable improvement, i.e. 32% increase in hardness, 78% in ultimate tensile strength and 116% increase in yield strength when compared with the base alloy. The tensile fracture of the specimens shows dimples, voids, cracks, and ridges indicating the brittle nature. Further, the dry sliding wear properties of the composites were studied with the help of a pin-on-disc wear testing machine. The composite with 9% TiC exhibited a decrease in volumetric wear loss by 24% when compared with the base alloy at a load of 30 N. With increase in the TiC content and applied load, the COF values decreased linearly for the composites. The 9% TiC-reinforced composites show an abrasive mode of wear mechanism as a result of formation of deep grooves with no plastic deformation. With the improvement obtained in the wear properties, this metal matrix composite can be considered as a replacement for the conventional brake disc material used in the automobile industry.
The present research deals with the modeling of wear performance of AA5052 metal matrix composites (MMCs) reinforced by in-situ formed TiC particles using two methods, namely statistical-based non-linear regression and fuzzy logic system. A pin-on-disc apparatus is employed to obtain the wear data of the composites. Three different process parameters, namely weight percentage of TiC, sliding distance, and applied load are considered as the input variables, and the volumetric wear loss and coefficient of friction are taken as output variables of the wear process. Regression models are formulated to study the output responses based on the wear results. To check the significance and contribution of the various control parameters, analysis of variance method was performed. Further, confirmatory tests were also conducted to validate both the models. It has been observed that the sliding distance and applied load have shown a substantial effect on the volumetric wear loss. It is also observed that the coefficient of friction is found to be increased with the rise in the sliding distance. The novelty of the work lies in using fuzzy logic to establish the wear model for aluminum 5052 MMC. A comparative study is performed to analyze the prediction accuracy of the models for the wear characteristics of the aluminum composites. Consequently, this wear modeling investigation will give a better understanding the effect of parameters and the responses influence of wear phenomena of Al 5052/TiC composites, which further will help in developing wear components for industrial applications.
This study focuses on a comparative analysis of mechanical behavior and microstructural characteristics of Cu matrix (C87600) based hybrid composites reinforced with SiC-Grp and WC-Grp fabricated by the stir casting process. The graphite particle percentage was kept constant, whereas the content of SiC and WC in the respective composites was varied to analyze the mechanical properties of the fabricated composites. The morphological observation was carried out by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), which revealed uniform dispersion of the reinforced particles in the hybrid composites. Clear phases of SiC and WC along with the Cu alloy were identified by the x-ray diffractometer (XRD). Further, a comparative study was conducted to analyze the mechanical behavior of the Cu-SiC-Gr and Cu-WC-Gr hybrid composites. With the addition of the hard ceramic materials, the tensile behavior and microhardness of both the Cu-based MMCs were improved. The WC-Gr reinforced composites exhibited higher mechanical properties than the SiC-Gr reinforced hybrid composites. Further, the fracture surfaces were also characterized to study the tensile behavior of the fabricated copper-based hybrid composites, which shows that ductile fracture was mainly associated with both hybrid composites.
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