Investigation on the Wear Behaviour of Eutectic Al-Si Alloy- Al2O3 - Graphite Composites Fabricated Through Squeeze Casting

Abstract

Dry sliding wear test was conducted on Al -Si alloy - Al2O3 - Graphite composites which are fabricated through squeeze casting method, using pin -on -disc wear testing rig. The influence of parameters such as applied load, sliding velocity and weight percentage of graphite, on the wear loss of Al- 5 wt. % Al2O3 - Graphite hybrid composite was investigated through Taguchi and Analysis of variance (ANOVA). It was found that the applied load was the most influential parameter on wear followed by sliding velocity and weight percentage of graphite. The morphology of worn surfaces of the wear pins was investigated by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) to analyze the wear mechanism. EDS analysis was carried out to investigate the Mechanically Mixed Layer (MML), which forms on the worn surface of the composites.

Keywords

• dry sliding wear test
• composites
• wear testing rig
• Taguchi
• SEM