In-Situ Reinforcement of AA6063/Al2O3 Hybrid Composite: Comparative Wear and Hardness Evaluation of Manihot Esculenta and Green Plantago major Particulates

Abstract

Abstract The AA6063 alloy, renowned for its effective resistance against corrosion and favourable mechanical properties, has limited applications within the automotive and aerospace sectors owing to its reduced hardness and wear properties. Manihot esculenta and Plantago major are essential food crops cultivated largely within sub-Saharan Africa. The peels of these food crops contribute to environmental pollution through indiscriminate disposal. This study aims to contribute to the current understanding exploring the potential use of the Manihot esculenta peel ash (MEPA) and Plantago major peel ash (PMPA) as innovative reinforcements for in-situ fabrication of AA6063/Al2O3 hybrid composites. Comparative assessments of the hardness behaviours and wear performances of MEP-based aluminium matrix composites (AMCs) and the PMP-based AMCs reveal MEP’s superior impact, enhancing AA6063 matrix hardness to 107 BHN, in contrast to PMP’s 86 BHN. MEP and PMP particulates as reinforcements notably improved AA6063 hardness by 328% and 244%, respectively. Incorporating the ashes of these solid wastes also enhanced the abrasion resistance of the fabricated AMCs. While the MEP ash particles performed better than the PMP ash particles in hardness and wear, natural ceramic agro waste reinforcements (MEPA and PMPA) provide an economical alternative to expensive artificial ceramic reinforcement (Al2O3). These findings highlight the potential of using MEPA and PMPA agro wastes as sustainable engineering solutions to reinforce AMCs for improved applications.