Evaluation of microstructural,tribological and tensile characteristics of AA7075 surface composites fabricated through friction stir process

Abstract

Superior wear resistance and a high level of tensile strength in piston ring materials are achieved using AA7075 surface composites (SCs) that are fabricated by reinforcing the steel slag (SS) particulates through proper selection of friction stir process (FSP) parameters using the multipass technique. The optical structure elucidates that fine and equi-axed grains are ascertained in the stir zone of the processed region, and by increasing the number of passes from one to three, a homogenous dispersion of particulates and a reduced grain size (9 µm) is obtained. In particular, a clear and defect-free interface is prominent on the resulting composite surface. Field emission – scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) identifies the dispersion of reinforcements, while X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) mapping confirm the existence of reinforcing elements. The Orowan strengthening effect and reduced oxygen content around the SiO₂ and CaO elements in the three-pass FSP SC specimen tend to increase its load-bearing capacity and result in superior hardness (353.3 VHN) and tensile strength (792.6 MPa). However, the same specimen exhibits a reduced percentage (%) elongation due to multiplied fragmentation of reinforcements, which eventually restricts the plastic movement of the AA7075 matrix. The SEM fracture morphology indicates that failure occurred through a combination of ductile and brittle modes. Furthermore, the SC specimen with two passes prominently decreases the wear rate (333 × 10⁴ mm³/m), which can be attributed to the commendable trilayer formation, and the worn morphology indicates the abrasive wear was the dominant wear mechanism. This fabricated specimen with high-strength characteristics can be beneficial for design engineers. During piston ring design, an increased level of the factor of safety can be achieved.