Experimental investigation of mechanical and tribological properties of Al6061–ZrC–B4C hybrid composites

Abstract

Aluminium metal matrix composites (ALMMCs) have been widely used because of their superior properties such as high strength to wear ratio, high wear resistance, and higher heat conduction rate. The addition of reinforcements in the form of discontinuous particles leads to an increase in the properties of metal matrix composites (MMCs). In the present study, ALMMCs were fabricated with the addition of discontinuous reinforcement particles of zirconium carbide (ZrC) and boron carbide (B4C). The mechanical properties such as tensile strength, hardness, and impact strength were tested as per ASTM standards. The tribological properties were tested using a pin-on-disc setup under different loading conditions (10, 20, 30, 40 N). Moreover, the morphological characterisation of the ALMMCs was carried out by scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis. Furthermore, differential thermal analysis (DTA) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were performed to find the thermal stability of the ALMMCs. The findings show that variations of reinforcement of ZrC added gave improved properties such as hardness, tensile strength, impact strength, and wear resistance.