Air jet Erosion Wear behavior of Al6061-SiC-Carbon fibre Hybrid Composite.

Abstract

Currently, the focus in materials development is on processing of hybrid metal matrix composites (MMC’s) in particular aluminum (Al) based owing to their flexibility in achieving tailor made properties. Till date, only processing, characterization of mechanical and adhesive wear behavior of various hybrid MMCs have received much attention. However, solid erosion wear of hybrid MMCs has not yet been reported. This assessment will further enlarge the range of applications of hybrid MMCs in particular for components in operation for military applications especially in desert areas. In the light of the above, the present paper discusses the air jet erosion behavior of developed Al6061-SiC-carbon fibre hybrid composite prepared by combination of powder metallurgy and casting process followed by hot extrusion at temperature of 550oC using extrusion ratio of 1:4. The solid sand erodent particle size used was 312 μm while the operating pressure and velocity was maintained at 1.4 bar and 30 m/sec respectively. The adopted feed rate of the sand particles was 2.0 g/min with standoff distance being 10 mm. The sample size was 25 mm x 25 mm x 10 mm. The effect of silicon carbide (SiC), Carbon fibre (Cf), test duration and angle of impingement of the erodent on the erosion wear loss of the developed hybrid composite will be discussed at length.