Nanosize Al₂O₃ reinforcement in Si-rich aluminum MMC for enhanced tribological performance in engine components

Abstract

Aluminum metal matrix composites are increasingly popular nowadays because of their wide range of uses. The low weight and excellent mechanical qualities, such as strength and hardness, of Al-Al2O3 composites make them useful in many fields, including automotive, aerospace, electronics, aeronautics, and military. Most of the engine components are made of aluminum-silicon alloys because of their excellent casting and forming properties. In engine components wear is a crucial parameter to be considered therefore in this investigation Al-Si alloy with varying percentages of V2O5 has been considered to develop the Al-Al2O3 composite and evaluate its tribological aspect. For composite development, a novel in-situ approach has been used with the help of the stir-casting method. The tribological behavior of the different composites was examined experimentally and studied with sliding distance, applied load, and the amount of reinforcement. Composites show a significant increase in hardness relative to the base alloy because of the generation of hard alumina particles within the melt. The wear behavior of in-situ Al-Al2O3 composites was studied using a pin-on-disc setup. In terms of COF and wear rate, the composite with a 1% addition of V2O5 performed better in the trial.