Dry sliding wear behaviour of aluminium/alumina/graphite hybrid metal matrix composites

Abstract

PurposeRecent trends in material science show a considerable interest in the manufacturing of metal matrix composites to meet the stringent demands of lightweight, high strength and corrosion resistance. Aluminium is the popular matrix metal currently in vogue that can be reinforced with ceramic materials such as particulates to meet the desired property. The purpose of this paper is to fabricate hybrid metal matrix composites to improve the dry sliding wear resistance and to study of the effect of sliding speed, load and reinforcement (alumina and graphite) on wear properties, as well as its contact friction.Design/methodology/approachThe present study addresses the dry sliding wear behaviour of Al‐Si10Mg alloy reinforced with 3, 6 and 9 wt% of alumina along with 3 wt% of graphite. Stir casting method was used to fabricate the composites. Mechanical properties such as hardness and tensile strength have been evaluated. A pin‐on‐disc wear test apparatus was used to evaluate the wear rate and coefficient of friction by varying the loads of 20, 30 and 40 N, sliding speeds of 1.5 m/s, 2.5 m/s and 3.5 m/s at a constant sliding distance of 2100 m.FindingsMechanical properties of hybrid metal matrix composites (HMMCs) have shown significant improvement. The wear rate and coefficient of friction for alloy and composites decreased with increase in sliding speed and increased with increase in applied load. Temperature rise during wearing process for monolithic alloy was larger than that of HMMCs and Al/9% Al2O3/3% Gr composite showing the minimum temperature rise.The worn surfaces of the composites were investigated using scanning electron microscope.Practical implicationsThe paper shows that aluminium composites can improve strength and wear resistance.Originality/valueHMMCs has proven to be useful in improving the dry sliding wear resistance.

Influences of graphite reinforcement on the tribological properties of self-lubricating aluminum matrix composites for green tribology, sustainability, and energy efficiency—a review

“…Self-lubrication is the ability of material to transfer embedded solid lubricants [57,58], such as graphite [44, to the contact surface to decrease wear rate and COF in the absence of an external lubricant [2, 67,69,81]. Aluminum reinforced with carbonous materials, such as graphite, is known as a selflubricating aluminum matrix composite.…”

Optimization of Friction and Wear Behaviour in Hybrid Metal Matrix Composites Using Taguchi Technique

“…S. Basavarajappa et al [6] inspected in detail sliding speed, load, sliding distance, percentage of reinforcement and mutual effect of these factors, which manipulate the dry sliding wear performance of matrix alloy (Al-2219) reinforced with SiC. N. Radhika et al [7] found taguchi technique as a valuable technique to deal with responses influenced by multi-variables. It is formulated for process optimization and detection of optimal combination of the parameters for a given response.…”

Effect of graphite particles on improving tribological properties Al-16Si-5Ni-5Graphite self-lubricating composite under fully flooded and starved lubrication conditions for transportation applications

“…All these advantages found in solid lubricant reinforced aluminum matrix composites have led to an increase in the interest in Al/Gr self-lubricating composites [18][19][20][21][22][23][24]. Self-lubrication in graphite containing aluminum alloys is the ability of materials to transfer embedded solid lubricant particles [20,25], such as graphite [23, to the contact surface during sliding and form a continuous graphite rich layer leading to a decrease in the wear rate and COF even in the absence of external lubricants [18,34,36,48]. The incorporation of solid lubricant particles, such as graphite particles, in aluminum metal matrices reduce the COF and wear rate and may allow the components to be operated with limited or no lubrication conditions.…”