INVESTIGATION OF STRUCTURAL AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF Al-Al2O3-SiC-WS2 HYBRID COMPOSITES FABRICATED BY POWDER METALLURGY
Sweta Rani Biswal, Seshadev Sahoo
Quarterly No. 1, 2023 pages 50-55
DOI:
keywords: hybrid metal matrix composites (AMCs), ceramic reinforcements, hardness, solid lubricant, tungsten disulphide
abstract The present study focuses on the fabrication and characterization of novel hybrid Al matrix composites with a combination of two ceramic reinforcements, i.e. Al2O3, SiC and one solid lubricant, i.e. WS2. This hybrid composite was fabricated by means of the powder metallurgy process. The impact of the hybrid combination of reinforcements in different wt.% on the properties of the hybrid composites was studied. The density of the composites increases from 2.689 to 2.796 g/cm3 with an increase in wt.% of WS2. Uniform distribution of the reinforcing particles in the matrix phase was determined by SEM. The results of, for instance, density measurements and microstructural analysis indicate significant improvement in the physical and mechanical properties with the increase in the wt.% of WS2. The microhardness of the as-fabricated composites rises from 98 HV to 119.7 HV with the increase in the wt.% of WS2 from 0 to 6 wt.%. The novel combination of Al with SiC, Al2O3 and WS2 can be used to create a suitable and sustainable hybrid metal matrix composite for the automotive industry as a replacement for single ceramic and single solid lubricant composites.