Investigation on dry sliding wear behavior of AA5083/nano-Al2O3 metal matrix composites

The tribological behavior of aluminum alloy (AA5083)/nano-Al2O3 metal matrix composites with varying reinforcement percentage of 2, 4, 6 and 8 wt.-% nano-Al2O3 particles was studied. The Al/ nano-Al2O3 composites were prepared using a stir casting route. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of prepared specimens suggested nearly uniform dispersion of nanoparticles in the Al matrix. Sliding wear behavior was studied using a pin-on-disc test rig. The plan of experiments was in accordance with Taguchi's L25 orthogonal array using three process parameters at five levels viz. reinforcement weight percentage, applied load and sliding distance. The obtained results reveal that nano-particles reinforced composites exhibited better wear resistance. While the main effects plot suggested that wear increases with an increase in the load, the sliding distance and decreases with an increase in the reinforcement percentage. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) illustrated that the sliding distance was the most significant contributing parameter. The worn surface morphology of the specimen tested under the highest load condition revealed the occurrence of abrasive wear phenomenon.

Automated summary

The tribological behavior of aluminum alloy/nano-Al2O3 metal matrix composites was studied, and it was found that the composites reinforced with nano-particles exhibited better wear resistance. Wear increased with an increase in load and sliding distance, while it decreased with an increase in reinforcement percentage.