Volume 11 Issue 4 ( December 2024)

The present study analysed the mechanical and wear characteristics of a hybrid composite material made from Al 6061 powder treated as a matrix material and reinforced with microparticles of SiC and B4C ceramics. A total of 12 samples were fabricated via the powder metallurgy (P/M) method. Among the twelve samples, one sample was A100 (100 Al6061), and the remaining samples were combinations of SiC and B4C from 0% to a maximum of 15%. The manufacturing methods included cold pressing, hot extrusion, and sintering. The results demonstrated that the composites consisting of only SiC particles presented the best strength, whereas the maximum hardness was attained when only B4C was used. Compared with those with more SiC, the composites made via the P/M method in the present study, containing a greater proportion of B4C, exhibited the most effective hardness performance. However, SiC had a greater impact on the tensile strength of the hybrid composite. This work offers useful insights into adjusting the composition of composites to improve their mechanical and tribological capabilities. As a result, these composites have the potential to be used in industries that require materials with exceptional performance characteristics. The Taguchi method was used to determine the relationships among the wear properties, such as speed, sliding velocity and loading force, via signal-to-noise ratio testing in the present study. This clearly shows that increasing the sliding velocity and rotation speed results in faster wear in the hybrid composite. Speed was the most crucial parameter for wear out the object and least crucial parameter was sliding distance to control the wear rate of the hybrid composite in which both micro particles have similar compositions. SEM images of the hybrid object was treated with 3D colour full scan analysis to show the clear impact of the micro particles on the composites surfaces.

Keywords: Hybrid composite; Al6061; SiC; B4C; Taguchi method; ANOVA; S/N ratio