Publication

Abstract : This present study deals with the fabrication of aluminium/boron carbide metal matrix composite and investigation on its tribological behavior. The composite incorporated with 5 wt% of boron carbide particles with an average size 33 μmwas fabricated through stir casting process. The microstructure of this composite was examined and uniform distribution of reinforced particles in the matrix was observed. Wear experiments were conducted on pin-on-disc tester based on Taguchi's L27 orthogonal array using three process parameters such as applied load, sliding velocity and distance; each varied for three levels. Loads of 10 N, 20 N, 30 N; velocities of 1 m/s, 2 m/s, 3 m/s and distances of 1000 m, 1500 m, 2000 m were considered for analyzing the wear behavior of composite. Optimum parameters were found out using Signal-to-Noise ratio by choosing ‘Smaller-the-better’ characteristics for wear rate and coefficient of friction. Influence of individual parameter and their interactions on the responses was predicted using Analysis of Variance. Results depicted that both wear rate and coefficient of friction increases with load and decreases with velocity and distance. Worn out surfaces of the composite specimen were analyzed using Scanning Electron Microscope for predicting the wear mechanism. It was observed that, severe delamination occurred as applied load increased from 10 N to 30 N. This tribological analysis can be utilized to replace the conventional automotive materials with aluminium metal matrix composites having better wear characteristics.