Abstract
In this work, Al7010 alloy/TiC/Graphene hybrid metal matrix nanocomposites are fabricated using an ultrasonic-assisted stir-casting method, incorporating TiC and Graphene nano-particle reinforcements at equal weight percentages ranging from 0% to 2.5% in 0.5% increments. The main objective was to evaluate the tribological performance by determining the Wear Rate (WR) and Coefficient of Friction (COF) at various sliding speeds and distances by using a pin-on-disc apparatus. The Taguchi method was applied to analyze the effects of different process parameters on tribological performance. Experiments followed an L18 orthogonal array design, and optimal parameters were determined through Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). ANOVA results revealed that wear rate was predominantly influenced by the composition parameter (64.595%), followed by sliding speed (15.016%), applied load (5.799%), and sliding distance (2.071%). For the coefficient of friction, the composition parameter has the highest impact (43.836%), with sliding speed (20.247%), applied load (10.621%) and sliding distance (7.624%) having lesser effects. A confidence interval was estimated at a 95% confidence level. Subsequently, confirmation tests were carried out to validate the predicted values against the experimental findings. The worn surface of the composite obtained from the confirmation tests is examined through Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) to understand the tribological behavior of the specimens.
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