Mechanical and Tribological Behavior of Al2O3, B4C and MoS2 Reinforced Al Composite Processed Through Powder Metallurgy

Abstract

Nowadays, Lightweight Materials With Better Mechanical And Tribological Properties Are Highly Demanded In Different Industries Such As Automotive And Aerospace. Aluminum Is A Preferred Matrix Material Due To Its Low Density, But Its Lower Hardness And Strength Restrict Its Use In Structural And High-Load Applications In Comparison To Steel And Titanium Materials. This Study Focused On Improving The Properties Of Pure Al By Reinforcing It With Aluminum Oxide (Al???O???), Boron Carbide (B???C), And Molybdenum Disulfide (Mos???) Using The Powder Metallurgy (Pm) Process. The Composites Were Fabricated By Varying The Weight Percentages Of Al???O??? (2,4,6 Wt%), B???C (2,4,6 Wt%), And Keeping Mos??? Constant At 4 Wt%.The Properties Like Hardness, Compressive Strength And Wear Resistance Were Investigated. The Optimal Composite Revealed That Hardness 224.8hv, 390.23mpa Compressive Strength And 32% Improved Wear Resistance Were Obtained. By Utilizing Archimedes Method The Porosity And Density Of The Composite Were Determined. The Corrosion Resistance Of Sample Was Examined Through Electrochemical Cell. The Analysis Of Microstructure Was Carried Out Using X-Ray Diffraction (Xrd), Optical Microscope (Om) And Scanning Electroscope (Sem). The Powder Metallurgy Process Parameters And Weight Percentage Of Reinforcement Particles Were Optimized Through Taguchi-Based Grey Relational Analysis. The Enhanced Mechanical And Tribological Properties Were Observed On The Sample Fabricated At The Optimum Conditions. The Reinforcement's Uniform Distribution Was Demonstrated By The Om And Sem Data. The Existence Of Various Phases In The Composite Was Verified By The Xrd Test. The Incorporation Of Boron Carbide, Aluminum Oxide And Molybdenum Disulfide In To Aluminum Metal Matrix Exhibited The Enhanced Mechanical And Tribological Properties Making It Suitable For Engineering Applications Like Automotive And Aerospace Industries.