Dry sliding wear and friction behavior of aluminum–rice husk ash composite using Taguchi’s technique

Abstract

Dry sliding wear and friction behavior of aluminum alloy (AlSi₁₀Mg) reinforced with agriculture waste such as rice husk ash have been investigated using plan of experiments (L₂₇ Orthogonal array) generated through Taguchi technique. Three parameters namely applied load (20, 30, and 40 N), sliding speed (2, 3, and 4 m s⁻¹) and rice husk ash reinforcement (6, 9, and 12%wt.) have been varied to find their effect over the wear and friction behavior of the composites. The analysis of variance and regression equations were also employed to find their interactions over wear rate and coefficient of friction of the composite. “Smaller-the-better” characteristics were chosen to develop a predictive model for analyzing the dry sliding wear resistance. The result reveals that the wear rate and coefficient of friction were influenced highly by percentage reinforcement followed by applied load and sliding speed. Finally, the confirmation test was also carried out to verify the predictive model with the experimental results. Wear surface morphology of the wear pins was analyzed using scanning electron microscope.