Microstructural and tribological characteristics of AA6351/Si3N4 composites manufactured by stir casting

Abstract

In the current research study, AA6351 (Al-Si-Mg) is employed as matrix material and silicon nitride (Si3N4) particles as reinforcement material to manufacture the aluminum composites (AMCs). AA6351 matrix composites incorporated with several weight fractions of Si3N4 (0, 1, 2 and 3 wt.%) were synthesized via stir casting technique. The obtained composites were characterized through a scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDS). EDS and XRD spectrums demonstrate the presence of Si3N4 reinforcement contents in the manufactured AMCs. The SEM analysis exhibits the even dissemination of Si3N4 particles in the Al alloy. The mechanical properties of the composites are examined by conducting several kinds of tests like compression test, impact test, tensile test and hardness test to understand the relationship between the weight percentages of reinforcement on the mechanical characteristics of the manufactured AMCs. The un-lubricant tribological characteristics of the proposed AMCs were assessed utilizing pin on disk tribometer. The hardness, compression and tensile strength of the AMCs were augmented concerning the mass proportion of reinforcement content. Finally, the wear test result reveals that the addition of nano-sized Si3N4 reinforcement contents up to a mass proportion of 3% downgrades the wear rate.