Experimental investigation and optimization of morphological characteristics in mechanically agitated aluminium 6061‐fly ash cenosphere composite

Abstract

AbstractThe current work examines the results of an experimental study for the liquid casting of an aluminum‐6061‐5 weight % fly ash cenosphere composite by employing stir casting. The studies were conducted using the response surface methodology (central composite design L16 experiments) with three process factors (stirring temperature, stirring speed, and stirring time) at three different levels. An attempt has been made to determine the impact of process variables on the degree of sphericity and particle size. The optimal processing conditions for the best degree of sphericity (0.765) and particle size (93.227 μm) are identified as A−1, B+1, and C+1, corresponding to a stirring temperature of 670 °C, a stirring speed of 600 min−1, and 15 min stirring time. Based on the analysis of variance analysis, the degree of sphericity and particle size evolution is significantly influenced by stirring time followed by temperature and speed. Additionally, a mathematical model for the evaluation of the degree of sphericity and particle size in the primary‐aluminium phase has been developed and it shows good consensus with the experiments.