Nano-Sized Al2O3-Gr Reinforced Al7075 Hybrid Composite: Impact of Cooling Agents on Mechanical, Wear, and Fracture Behavior

Babu Erappa Rajj; Madeva Nagaral; Sanjay Chintakindi; Raman Kumar; Ali E Anqi; Ali A Rajhi; Alaauldeen A Duhduh; Gedala Sridevi; Chander Prakash; Raman Kumar; Choon Kit Chan

doi:10.1021/acsomega.3c08822

Nano-Sized Al₂O₃-Gr Reinforced Al7075 Hybrid Composite: Impact of Cooling Agents on Mechanical, Wear, and Fracture Behavior

ACS Omega. 2024 Apr 12;9(16):17878-17890. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.3c08822. eCollection 2024 Apr 23.

Authors

Babu Erappa Rajj¹, Madeva Nagaral², Sanjay Chintakindi³, Raman Kumar⁴, Ali E Anqi⁵, Ali A Rajhi⁵, Alaauldeen A Duhduh⁶, Gedala Sridevi⁷, Chander Prakash^{8

9}, Raman Kumar¹⁰, Choon Kit Chan⁹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Mechanical Engineering, Bangalore Institute of Technology, Bangalore 560004, India.
² Manager, Aircraft Research and Design Centre, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Bangalore 560037, Karnataka, India.
³ Industrial Engineering Department, College of Engineering, King Saud University, PO Box. 800, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering, Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College, Ludhiana, Punjab 141006, India.
⁵ Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia.
⁶ Department of Mechanical Engineering Technology, CAIT, Jazan University, Prince Mohammed Street, P.O. Box 114, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia.
⁷ Mechanical Engineering, Centurion University of Technology and Management, Paralakhemundi, Odisha 761200, India.
⁸ Centre for Research Impact and Outcome, Chaitkara University, Rajpura 140401, Punjab, India.
⁹ Faculty of Engineering and Quantity Surveying, INTI International University, Putra Nilai, 71800 Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.
¹⁰ Mechanical 5000Engineering Department, University Centre for Research and Development, Chandigarh University, Mohali 140413, Punjab, India.

Abstract

Aluminum metal cast composites (AMCCs) are frequently used in high-tech sectors such as automobiles, aerospace, biomedical, electronics, and others to fabricate precise and especially responsible parts. The mechanical and wear behavior of the metal matrix composites (MMCs) is anticipated to be influenced by the cooling agent's action and the cooling temperature. This research paper presents the findings of a series of tests to investigate the mechanical, wear, and fracture behavior of hybrid MMCs made of Al7075 reinforced by varying wt % of nano-sized Al₂O₃ and Gr and quenched with water and ice cubes. The heat-treated Al7075 alloy hybrid composites were evaluated for their hardness, tensile, and wear behavior, showcasing a significant process innovation. The heat treatment process greatly improved the hybrid composites' mechanical and wear performance. The samples quenched in ice attained the highest hardness of 119 VHN. There is a 45.37% improvement in the hardness of base alloy with the addition of 3% of Al₂O₃ and 1% of graphite particles. Further, the highest tensile and compression strengths were found in the ice-quenched 3% Al₂O₃ and 1% graphite hybrid composites with improvements of 34.2 and 48.83%, respectively, compared to the water-quenched base alloy. Under the samples quenched in ice, the mechanical and wear behavior improved. The tensile fractured surface showed voids, particle pullouts, and dimples. The worn-out surface of wear test samples of the created hybrid composite had micro pits, delamination layers, and microcracks.