DefinePK

Abstract

The influence of constant proportion of fly ash and varying proportions of silicon carbide on aluminum alloy /SiC/ fly ash composite processed through powder metallurgy route was investigated. Elemental composition of each constituents were calculated as per weight fractions in the hybrid metal matrix composite (HMMC) containing 5 wt. % to 15 wt. % silicon carbide with the addition of 7.5 wt. % fly ash as additional reinforcement. Powders were cold compacted under unidirectional pressing followed by sintering at 600°C in nitrogen atmosphere under controlled conditions. From micrograph images, the surfaces of the novel composite were studied for homogeneous mixture of silicon carbide and fly ash particles to identify dry sliding wear performance of hybrid metal matrix composite. Wear testing of the developed composite was carried out at different loads and sliding velocities for 3000m using Pin-on-disc setup. The result of experiments supports the fact that the wear resistance of AA6061/ SiC/Fly ash processed through powder metallurgy route was influenced by applied load, mass fraction of reinforcement while varying sliding velocity and keeping sliding distance constant. The analysis establishes chances of improved hardness and wear resistance with fly ash addition for silicon carbide reinforced AA6061 alloy hybrid metal matrix composite.