A study on the improvement of wear and corrosion properties of ZA40/ Graphene/B4C hybrid nanocomposites

The objective of the study was to investigate the production and evaluation of ZA40/Graphene/B4C hybrid nanocomposite (HNC). To fabricate the HNC powders (HNPs) involved the combination of graphene nanoplatelets and B4C micro-particles with ZA40 powders through mechanical milling. The graphene content remained constant 1 wt%, while the B4C content varied at 1 wt%, 2 wt%, and 3 wt%. After an 8-hour milling process, the HNPs were subjected to hot-pressing to create bulk HNC samples. Various tests, including microstructural analysis, hardness, tensile strength, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance, were conducted on the consolidated samples. The results indicated that the HNC sample containing 3 wt% B4C (S3) exhibited the most favorable properties. This sample displayed a hardness value of 181 HB, significantly higher than the ZA40 matrix alloy's hardness of 133 HB. Moreover, its ultimate tensile strength measured at 243 MPa, which was much higher than the ZA40 matrix alloy (157 MPa). The wear resistance of HNCs increased significantly with an increase in B4C content. The sample containing 3 wt% B4C demonstrated approximately 3.5 times greater corrosion resistance than the unreinforced ZA40 matrix alloy.

Automated summary

The study aimed to investigate the production and evaluation of ZA40/Graphene/B4C hybrid nanocomposite (HNC). Graphene nanoplatelets and B4C micro-particles were combined with ZA40 powders to fabricate HNC powders (HNPs) through mechanical milling. Various tests were conducted on the consolidated samples, and the results showed that the HNC sample containing 3 wt% B4C (S3) exhibited the most favorable properties.