Microstructure, hardness and wear behavior of ZrC particle reinforced AZ31 surface composites synthesized via friction stir processing

T Satish Kumar; Titus Thankachan; S Shalini; Robert Čep; Kanak Kalita

doi:10.1038/s41598-023-47381-5

Microstructure, hardness and wear behavior of ZrC particle reinforced AZ31 surface composites synthesized via friction stir processing

Sci Rep. 2023 Nov 16;13(1):20089. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-47381-5.

Authors

T Satish Kumar¹, Titus Thankachan², S Shalini³, Robert Čep⁴, Kanak Kalita^{5

6}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Mechanical Engineering, Amrita School of Engineering, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore, India.
² Department of Mechanical Engineering, Karpagam College of Engineering, Coimbatore, India.
³ Department of Physics, PSG Polytechnic College, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.
⁴ Department of Machining, Assembly and Engineering Metrology, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, VSB-Technical University of Ostrava, 70800, Ostrava, Czech Republic.
⁵ Department of Mechanical Engineering, Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr. Sagunthala R&D Institute of Science and Technology, Avadi, Chennai, 600062, India. kanakkalita02@gmail.com.
⁶ University Centre for Research & Development, Chandigarh University, Mohali, 140413, India. kanakkalita02@gmail.com.

Abstract

Dry sliding wear behaviour of friction stir processed (FSP) AZ31 and AZ31/ZrC particles (5, 10, and 15 vol%) reinforced surface composite was investigated at different sliding speeds and loads. The samples were tested using a pin-on-disc apparatus with EN31 steel as the counter body to determine the role of FSP and ZrC reinforcement on the microstructure, hardness, and wear behaviour of AZ31. Base metal AZ31 alloy exhibits a hardness of 60 HV, whereas the 15 vol% ZrC-reinforced composites had the highest hardness of 108 HV. It was also identified that 15 vol% ZrC-reinforced composites exhibited lowest wear rate and friction coefficient under all testing conditions. Abrasion, delamination, oxidation, material softening, and plastic deformation are the primary wear mechanisms viewed from the wear tracks of the samples. Higher volume fraction of ZrC particles exhibited better wear resistance at all speeds and loads than AZ31 alloy. A wear map has been generated for different material compositions and wear conditions to identify the main wear mechanisms easily.