Radhika N, Jojith R, Vignesh S, Raghavenderen H S, Abinav S, Adediran Adeolu Adesoji
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Amrita School of Engineering, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore, India.
Faculty of Civil and Engineering and Faculty of Media, Bauhaus University Weimar, Geschwister-Scholl-Strasse 8/15, 99423, Weimar, Thüringen, Germany.
Sci Rep. 2024 Aug 22;14(1):19509. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-70189-w.
The present work demonstrates the development of SiC/TiS/AlSi12Cu hybrid functionally graded composite using centrifugal casting and examines its microstructural, mechanical, and tribological properties. A gradient distribution of reinforcement particles was observed with the outer region being particle-rich. EBSD analysis confirms microstructural refinement owing to titanium's grain refining properties and the formation of θ-AlCu intermetallic phase. The outer layer of the composite attained a maximum hardness and tensile strength of 93 HB and 202 MPa respectively, which was increased by 7.5% and 8.2%, 20.4% and 13.8%, 22.5% and 44.5% in middle, inner, and as-received alloy respectively. Tribological properties were assessed via dry sliding pin-on-disk tribometer with various process parameters such as load (10-40 N), velocity (1-4 m/s) and distance (500-2000 m), optimized using response surface methodology. The higher wear resistance was attained by the optimized process parameters of 16 N load, 1.6 m/s velocity, and 804 m distance. Results indicated increased material loss with higher load, sliding distance, and velocity, but with enhanced wear resistance in the outer zone. Worn surface analysis revealed deeper grooves, delamination, particle pull-out, and wear tracks under severe conditions. The study emphasizes the composite's potential for high wear applications, linking its microstructural features to its superior wear behavior.
