Exploring the influence of process parameters on the properties of SiC/A380 Al alloy surface composite fabricated by friction stir processing

Abstract

Friction stir processing (FSP) has been used successfully to yield surface composites that offer good wear resistance and high hardness. In this work, an attempt was made to produce SiC particles incorporated within the surface of an A380 Al alloy using FSP under various processing parameters. The microstructure of processed surface was characterized using optical and SEM. XRD was employed to investigate the phases of A380 Al alloy matrix and confirm with EDX mapping the presence of SiC particles. Microhardness test was performed to recognize the variation of hardness values along the cross-section of processed alloy. Pin on disk wear apparatus was used successfully to study wear properties under dry sliding conditions using different applied loads. The results showed that the XRD and EDX mapping confirmed the incorporation of SiC particles within the surface of A380 Al alloy. Refining of α-Al and silicon modification were recognized within the stir zone. Microhardness was changed significantly across the processed region depending on the FSP parameters used. The presence of SiC particles improved the wear properties of A380 Al alloy especially at 1460 rpm tool rotation speed and 0.3 mm plunge depth.© 2020 Karabuk University. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CCBY-NC-ND license.

Keywords

• Friction stir processing
• A380 Al alloy
• Surface composite
• Silicon carbide
• Wear properties