Tribological Characteristics of Aluminium Metal Matrix composite

Tribological behavior of aluminium alloy LM25 reinforced with SiC and TiO2 fabricated by stir casting process was investigated. The wear resistance and frictional properties of hybrid metal matrix composite was studied by performing dry sliding wear test using a pin on disk wear tester. At a constant sliding velocity 2.09m/s and sliding distance of 1256m over a various load of (3,4,5kg) for a particle volume fraction ranging from 5-15%. The results show that ,the reinforcement of the metal matrix with SiC and TiO2 reduces the wear rate at room temperature.The results also show that the wear of the test specimen increases with the increasing load and sliding distance . The coefficient of friction decreases with increasing volume content of reinforcement. The microhardness of the hybrid composite test specimen increases with increasing volume fraction of particle reinforcement. The Microstructure analysis reveals that SiC and TiO2 particulate are uniformly distributed in the matrix. The wear surfaces were examined by scanning electron microscope which indicates the abrasive wear mechanism due to hard ceramics particles exposed on the worn surface.

Autorentext

Dr. A. Sivakumar: Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, CHRIST College of Engineering & Technology, Puducherry, India.