Dry sliding and sand Abrasion Wear Characterization of Al-SiC, in-situ Particulate Composite Synthesized in Open Hearth Furnace with Manually Controlled Stirring Method

  Neetu Saini,  Vivek Kumar Sharma

Metal matrix composite (MMCs) are next generation materials. MMCs add higher strength and stiffness than the matrix alloy or aluminium, excellent wear resistance and lower coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE). One of the important objectives of metal matrix composites is to develop a material with a judicious combination of toughness and stiffness. It decreases the sensitivity to cracks and flaws and at the same time increases the static and dynamic properties. Reinforcement effect occurs due to the extraordinary high strength of whiskers with diameters below a few micrometers. In general, Metal matrix composites consist of at least two components. One is the metal matrix and the second is reinforcement. Particle- Reinforced Metal Matrix Composites (PMMCs) are a special category of practically isotropic composites, which have either hard or soft particles, or their mixtures embedded in to a ductile metal or alloy matrix. Therefore, PMMCs combine metallic properties (ductility and toughness) with the characteristics of reinforcing particles, often leading to the greater strength higher wear resistance and better properties at elevated temperature depending of the nature if the particles. Particulate metal matrix composites (PMMCs) have proved their viability as good alternatives to conventional alloys in high strength and stiffness applications but they are still long away from high-volume commercial production. PMMCs are a special category of virtually isotropic composites. In the present work cast particulate composites, with different weight percentages of Silicon carbide (2.5%, 5%, 7.5% and 10%) and Magnesium was added to the melt in order to help wetting of silicon carbide in to the molten Aluminium and to retain the particles inside the melt. The present work aims to understand the wear properties of the resulting cast Insitu composites. In the present work the pure Aluminium matrix composite reinforced with silicon carbide particles have been synthesized in the open hearth furnace with the hand stirring method. Stir casting method was used with two step mixing method. The present work also investigates the dry sliding and abrasion wear properties of the resulting cast in-situ composites. The present work shows the effect of the reinforcement on the dry sliding and abrasion wear properties of pure aluminium and casted composites. The present work also compares the dry sliding and abrasion wear properties of pure Aluminium, and the casted composites.

Keywords- Index terms: PMMCs, Al matrix composite, in-situ, dry sliding wear, abrasion wear, SiC, two step mixing method.

Unique Identification Number - IJEDR1704231
Page Number(s) - 1460-1464
Pubished in - Volume 5 | Issue 4 | December 2017
DOI (Digital Object Identifier) -   
Publisher - IJEDR (ISSN - 2321-9939)

  Neetu Saini,  Vivek Kumar Sharma,   "Dry sliding and sand Abrasion Wear Characterization of Al-SiC, in-situ Particulate Composite Synthesized in Open Hearth Furnace with Manually Controlled Stirring Method", International Journal of Engineering Development and Research (IJEDR), ISSN:2321-9939, Volume.5, Issue 4, pp.1460-1464, December 2017, Available at :http://www.ijedr.org/papers/IJEDR1704231.pdf