Wear and friction behavior of nanosized TiB 2 and TiO 2 particle-reinforced casting A356 aluminum nanocomposites: A comparative study focusing on particle capture in matrix

Abstract

In the present study, regarding the theoretical and practical aspects of nanoparticle capture in liquid-state processing of aluminum composite, different volume fractions of ${TiB}_{2}$ and ${TiO}_{2}$ nanopowders were incorporated into aluminum alloy via stir casting method. Hardness and sliding wear test were carried out to evaluate the mechanical properties of composites. The effects of wear load and reinforcement content on wear rate and friction coefficient of composites were examined. Microstructural studied showed that particle distribution in A356- ${TiB}_{2}$ composites was more favorable than that of the A356- ${TiO}_{2}$ samples. Results showed that nanoparticles were partially captured by aluminum matrix. With an increase in reinforcement content the amount of porosity and rejected nanoparticles increased. Regarding the wettability features of particles, the amount of introduced ${TiB}_{2}$ powders was higher than that of ${TiO}_{2}$ particles. A356- ${TiB}_{2}$ composites showed higher mechanical properties compared with those of A356- ${TiO}_{2}$ samples. Significant improvements in hardness and wear resistance were obtained in A356-1.5 vol.% ${TiB}_{2}$ composite. It was observed that the friction coefficient of the composites was lower than that of the non-reinforced alloy. With an increase in normal wear load, wear rate of composites increased and friction coefficient of reinforced samples decreased. Study on surface morphology of the worn surfaces showed both of the mild and sever wear mechanisms. The depth and number of grooves in worn surface of composites decreased with introduction of nanoparticles into matrix. The presence of oxide layers was detected on worn surface. Iron trace was observed in wear debris of samples.

Keywords

Metal matrix nanocomposites stir casting wear scanning electron microscope

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Clarke

Sarkar

. Wear characteristics of as-cast binary aluminum silicon alloys. Wear 1979; 54: 7–16.

Anirban

Nisha

Vikram

. Severe wear of a near eutectic aluminium-silicon alloy. Acta Mater 2011; 59(2): 6069–6082.

Pedersen

Arnberg

. The effect of solution heat treatment and quenching rates on mechanical properties and microstructures in AlSiMg foundry alloys. Metall Mater Trans A 2001; 32: 525–532.

Chaudhary

Singh

Sivaramakrishnan

. Wear and friction behavior of spray formed and stir cast Al–2Mg–11TiO₂ composites. Wear 2005; 258: 759–767.

Vipin

Suresh

Singh

. Microstructural and wear behavior of dual reinforced particle (DRP) aluminum alloy composite. J Mater Sci 2012; 47: 6633–6646.

Bajwa

Rainforth

Lee

. Sliding wear behaviour of SiC/Al₂O₃ nanocomposites. Wear 2005; 259: 553–561.

Das

. Abrasive wear behavior of Al–4.5wt%Cu/(zircon sand + silicon carbide) hybrid composite. J Compos Mater 2009; 43: 2665–2672.

Surappa Sudarshan

. Dry sliding wear of fly ash particle reinforced A356 Al composites. Wear 2008; 265: 349–360.

Hosking

Folgar

Wunderlin

. Composites of aluminium alloys: Fabrication and wear behavior. J Mater Sci 1998; 217: 477–477.

10.

Fligier

Dobrzański

Adamiak

. Wear resistance of PM composite materials reinforced with the Ti(C, N) ceramic particles. J Achiev Mater Manuf Eng 2008; 30(2): 147–150.

11.

Deuis

Subramaian

Yellup

. Dry sliding wear of aluminum composites - A review. Compos Sci Technol 1997; 57: 415–435.

12.

Mandal

Murty

Chakraborty

. Sliding wear behaviour of T6 treated A356–TiB₂ in-situ composites. Wear 2009; 266: 865–872.

13.

Alpas

Zhang

. Effect of SiC particulate reinforcement on the dry sliding wear of aluminium–silicon alloys (A356). Wear 1992; 155: 83–104.

14.

Liang

. Nanometric Si₃N₄ particulate reinforced aluminum composite. Mater Sci Eng A 1996; 219: 229–231.

15.

Tjong

. High temperature creep behavior of nanometric Si₃N₄ particulate reinforced aluminium composite. Mater Sci Eng A 1997; 225: 125–134.

16.

Karbalaei Akbari M, Baharvandi HR and Mirzaee O. Investigation of particle size and reinforcement content on mechanical properties and fracture behavior of A356-Al₂O₃ composite fabricated by vortex method. J Compos Mater 2014; 48(27): 3315–3330.

17.

Tjong

Processing and deformation characteristics of metals reinforced with ceramic nanoparticles. In: Tjong

(ed). Nanocrystalline materials their synthesis-structure-property relationships and applications, 2nd ed. London: Elsevier, 2014, pp. 159–187.

18.

Yang

Lan

. Study of bulk aluminum matrix nanocomposite fabricated by ultrasonic dispersion of nanosized SiC particles in molten aluminum alloy. Mater Sci Eng A 2004; 380: 378–383.

19.

Lan

Yang

. Microstructure and microhardness of SiC nanoparticles reinforced magnesium composites fabricated by ultrasonic method. Mater Sci Eng A 2004; 386: 284–290.

20.

Cao

Choi

Oportus

. Study on tensile properties and microstructure of cast AZ91D/AlN nanocomposites. Mater Sci Eng A 2008; 494: 127–131.

21.

Wang

Cicco

. Using diluted master nanocomposites to achieve grain refinement and mechanical property enhancement in as cast Al-9Mg alloy. Mater Sci Eng A 2012; 532: 396–400.

22.

Mazahery

OstadShabani

. Nano-sized silicon carbide reinforced commercial casting aluminum alloy matrix: Experimental and novel modeling evaluation. Powder Technol 2012; 217: 558–565.

23.

Hassan

Paramsothy

Patel

. High temperature tensile response of nano-Al₂O₃ reinforced AZ31 nanocomposites. Mater Sci Eng A 2012; 558: 278–284.

24.

Schultz

Ferguson

Rohatgi

. Microstructure and hardness of Al₂O₃ nanoparticle reinforced Al-Mg composites fabricated by reactive wetting and stir mixing. Mater Sci Eng A 2011; 530: 87–97.

25.

Kaptay

. Method for estimating solid-solid interface energies in metal-ceramic systems: The aluminum-silicon carbide system. Mater Sci Forum 1996; 215–216: 475–484.

26.

Kaptay

Lovas

Szigeti

. Correlation between the abrasive ability of ceramic reinforced amorphous metal matrix composites and the adhesion energy between the amorphous matrix and the ceramic particles. Mater Sci Eng A 1997; 226–228: 1083–1088.

27.

Karbalaei Akbari

Mirzaee

Baharvandi

. Fabrication and study on mechanical properties and fracture behavior of nanometric Al₂O3 particle-reinforced A356 composites focusing on the parameters of vortex method. J Matter Des 2013; 46: 199–205.

28.

Karbalaei Akbari

Baharvandi

Mirzaee

. Nano-sized aluminum oxide reinforced commercial casting A356 alloy matrix: Evaluation of hardness, wear resistance and compressive strength focusing on particle distribution in aluminum matrix. Compos Part B: Eng 2013; 52: 262–268.

29.

Kaptay

. Interfacial phenomena during melt processing of ceramic particle-reinforced metal matrix composites. Part I. Introduction (incorporation) of solid particles into melts. Mater Sci Forum 1996; 215–216: 459–466.

30.

Kaptay

. Interfacial phenomena during melt processing of ceramic particle-reinforced metal matrix composites. Part II. Interfacial force between a spherical particle and an approaching solid/liquid interface. Mater Sci Forum 1996; 215–216: 467–474.

31.

Chen

Choi

. Theoretical study and pathways for nanoparticle capture during solidification of metal melt. J Phys Condens Matter 2012; 24: 1–9.

32.

Israelachvili

. Intermolecular and surface forces, 3rd ed. Burlington: Academic Press, 2011, pp. 253–282.

33.

Rhodes

. Introduction to particle technology, 2nd ed. Chichester: John Wiley, 2008, pp. 29–46, 51–81.

34.

Egerton

. Electron energy loss spectroscopy in the electron microscope, New York: Springer, 2011, pp. 135–152. 419–422.

35.

Kaptay

. Interfacial criteria to avoid pushing of particles during solidification of metal matrix composites. Mater Sci Forum 2000; 329–330: 121–126.

36.

Kaptay

Báder

Bolyán

. Interfacial forces and energies relevant to production of metal matrix composites. Mater Sci Forum 2000; 329–330: 151–156.

37.

Kaptay

. Reduced critical solidification front velocity of particle engulfment due to an interface active solute in the liquid metal. Metall Mater Trans A 2002; 33: 1869–1873.

38.

Sajjadi

Ezatpour

Torabi Parizi

. Comparison of microstructure and mechanical properties of A356 aluminum alloy/Al₂O3 composites fabricated by stir and compo-casting processes. J Mater Des 2011; 34: 106–111.

39.

Sajjadi

Ezatpour

Beygi

. Microstructure and mechanical properties of Al–Al₂O3 micro and nanocomposites fabricated by stir casting. Mater Sci Eng A 2011; 528: 8765–8771.

40.

Gao

Feng

. Processing, microstructure and tensile properties of nanosized Al₂O3 particle reinforced aluminum matrix composites. Mater Des 2012; 36: 590–596.

41.

Geiger

Walker

. The processing and properties of discontinuously reinforced aluminum composites. J Met 1991; 43: 8–15.

42.

Srivatsan

Al-Hajri

Smith

. The tensile response and fracture behaviour of 2009 Al alloy metal matrix composite. Mater Sci Eng A 2003; 346: 91–100.

43.

Aghababaei

Joshi

. Grain size–inclusion size interaction in metal matrix composites using mechanism-based gradient crystal plasticity. Int J Solid Struct 2011; 48: 2585–2594.

44.

Miller

Humphreys

. Strengthening mechanism in particulate metal matrix composites. Scripta Mater 1991; 25: 33–38.

45.

Arsenault

Wang

Feng

. Strengthening of composites due to micro-structural changes in the matrix. Acta Metall 1991; 39: 47–57.

46.

Kök

Özdin

. Wear resistance of aluminum alloy and its composites reinforced by Al₂O₃ particles. J Mater Process Technol 2007; 183: 301–309.

47.

Mandal

Chakraborty

Murty

. Effect of TiB₂ particles on sliding wear behaviour of Al–4Cu alloy. Wear 2007; 262: 160–166.

48.

Panwar

Pandey

. Analysis of wear track and debris of stir cast LM13/Zr composite at elevated temperatures. Mater Charact 2013; 75: 200–213.

49.

Razavizadeh

Tyre

. Oxidative wear of aluminum alloys. Wear 1982; 79: 325–333.

50.

Kumar

Chakraborty

Sarma

. Tensile and wear behaviour of in situ Al–7Si/TiB2 particulate composites. Wear 2008; 265: 134–142.

51.

Natarajan

Narayanasamy

Babu

SPK

. Sliding wear behaviour of Al 6063/TiB₂ in situ composites at elevated temperatures. Mater Des 2009; 30: 2521–2531.

52.

Shabani

Mazahery

. Prediction of wear properties in A356 matrix composite reinforced with B4C particulates. Synth Met 2011; 161: 1226–1231.

53.

Bindumadhavan

Chia

Chandrasekaran

. The mechanical response of Al-Si-Mg/SiCp composite: Influence of porosity. Mater Sci Eng A 2001; 315: 217–226.

54.

Roy

Venkataraman

Bhanuprasad

. Correlation between the characteristics of the mechanically mixed layer and wear behaviour of aluminium, Al-7075 Alloy and Al-MMCs. Metall Trans A 1992; 23: 2833–2846.

55.

Ludema

. A review of scuffing and running-in of lubricated surfaces, with asperities and oxides in perspective. Wear 1984; 100: 315–331.

56.

Lim

Ashby

. Quantitative wear maps as a visualization of wear mechanism transitions in ceramic materials. Acta Metall 1987; 35: l–24.