ABSTRACT
In the present research work, microstructural, mechanical and tribological aspects of Aluminium alloy (AA) 7075 reinforced with Titanium (Ti), Tantalum Carbide (TaC), and Silicon Nitride (Si3N4) ceramic particles were explored by utilising stir casting. Mechanical attributes like compression, tensile, hardness and flexural were evaluated. Dry sliding wear experiments at both room (30°C) and elevated atmospheric (60°C & 120°C) conditions were conducted to investigate the wear performances. Microstructural analyses reveal homogeneous distribution of reinforcements in the matrix along with good interfacial bonding with negligible amount of agglomeration. Considering the effect of hard ceramic materials in the matrix alloy tensile, compression, flexural and hardness of the developed MMCs found to be improved when compared with base alloy. Finer grains restrict the dislocation movement due to the Orowan strengthening mechanism of the developed hybrid MMCs. As the force enhances from 20 N to 40 N, the rate of wear for AA7075 reinforced with 0.75 wt% TaC, 6 wt% Si3N4, and1 wt% Ti was found to be minimum. Taguchi and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were performed to acquire the optimum process and dominating parameters. Regression analysis showed the relationship between the output and input control factors.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.