Wear Characteristics of Hybrid Al 6063 Matrix Composites Reinforced with Graphite and Fly Ash Particulates

Abstract

As auto manufacturers strive to meet imposed fuel economy and emissions regulations while producing vehicles with the quality and features that consumer expect, the industry needs to rely on advancements made in the field of metal matrix composites. The efforts of combining or replacing metals with the use of advanced metal matrix composites (MMCs) not only reduce weight, but can also improve safety, reliability and efficiency. A hybrid MMC was developed for the cylinder liner of advanced diesel engines. Composites of Al-6063 aluminium alloy reinforced with, fly ash particulate containing 10% and graphite particulate containing 5, 10 and 15 % were produced by stir casting. The wear and frictional properties of the casted hybrid metal matrix composites were investigated by performing dry sliding wear test using a pin-on-disc wear tester. The investigation was done to find the influence of applied load, sliding speed and sliding distance on wear rate, as well as the coefficient of friction during wearing process. From the investigation, it is evident that wear resistance of Al-6063 is increased while adding the fly ash and graphite reinforcement content. The results were compared with the existing liner material. From this comparative study the Al-6063/fly ash/graphite hybrid metal matrix composite can be the considered as an alternative material for existing cylinder material.

Influence of the Fly Ash Material Inoculants on the Tensile and Impact Characteristics of the Aluminum AA 5083/7.5SiC Composites

“…Addition of phenoplasts provides systematically higher coefficients of friction and low wear rates, especially in the aluminum matrix composites [ 21 ]. The mechanical properties and wear resistance of composites with elongated flakes of fly ash exhibited superior properties as compared to thicker stubs of fly ash particles [ 22 , 23 ]. Rohatgi et al [ 24 ] have reported that the inclusion of fly ash reinforcements up to 20 wt.…”