Investigation of Mechanical and Tribological Behaviors of Aluminum Based Hybrid Metal Matrix Composite and Multi-Objective Optimization

Biranu Kumsa Gonfa; Devendra Sinha; Umesh Kumar Vates; Irfan Anjum Badruddin; Mohamed Hussien; Sarfaraz Kamangar; Gyanendra Kumar Singh; Gulam Mohammed Sayeed Ahmed; Nand Jee Kanu; Nazia Hossain

doi:10.3390/ma15165607

Investigation of Mechanical and Tribological Behaviors of Aluminum Based Hybrid Metal Matrix Composite and Multi-Objective Optimization

Materials (Basel). 2022 Aug 16;15(16):5607. doi: 10.3390/ma15165607.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Program of Mechanical Design and Manufacturing Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Mechanical, Chemical and Materials Engineering, ASTU, Adama 1888, Ethiopia.
² Amity School of Engineering and Technology, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida 201301, India.
³ Mechanical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, King Khalid University, Abha 61413, Saudi Arabia.
⁵ Pesticide Formulation Department, Central Agricultural Pesticide Laboratory, Agricultural Research Center, Dokki, Giza 12618, Egypt.
⁶ Center of Excellence (COE) for Advanced Manufacturing Engineering, Program of Mechanical Design and Manufacturing Engineering, School of Mechanical, Chemical and Materials Engineering, ASTU, Adama 1888, Ethiopia.
⁷ Department of Mechanical Engineering, JSPM Narhe Technical Campus, Pune 411041, India.
⁸ School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia.

Abstract

Aluminum metal matrix composites are potential materials for aerospace and automobile industrial applications due to their enhanced mechanical and tribological properties. Aluminum reinforced with silicon carbide particles has been developed with enhanced mechanical and tribological behavior, but it lacks wettability between matrix and reinforcement causing weak bonding, which reduces the degree of enhancement. The objectives of this study were to fabricate aluminum-based metal matrix composites with enhanced wettability at varying stirring speeds (350, 450, 550 rpm), stirring time (5, 10, 15 min), weight percentage of SiC (0, 5, 10 wt.%), and weight percentage of MoS₂ (0, 2, 4 wt.%). Nine samples were fabricated using stir casting based on Taguchi L9 orthogonal array. Hardness, tensile strength, and wear rate of the developed composite were investigated and analyzed as a single response characteristic using Taguchi's signal-to-noise ratio and as a multi-response characteristic using hybrid Taguchi-grey relational analysis (HTGRA). The results revealed that the addition of SiC in the composite produced better hardness, tensile strength, and wear rate. The addition of MoS₂ in the composite showed better hardness and tensile strength only up to 2 wt.% of MoS₂, and in the case of wear rate, the addition of MoS₂ in the composite up to 4% showed better wear resistance. Al-SiC-MoS₂ hybrid composite shows better enhancement in hardness, tensile strength, and wear resistance than the Al-SiC composite.

Keywords: Al 6061; Al/SiC/MoS2; GRA; metal matrix composites; multi-response optimization; silicon carbide; stirring speed; stirring time.

Grants and funding

RGP. 2/1/43./The authors extend their appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Khalid University for funding this work through the Large Groups Project under grant number RGP. 2/1/43.