EVALUATION OF TRIBOLOGICAL BEHAVIOUR AND
MICROSTRUCTURE OF AA6063 - B₄C - Al₂ O₃
HYBRID COMPOSITES
A PROJECT REPORT
Submitted by
[Link] ASARUDEEN 814013114075
[Link] ASIK 814013114076
[Link] SULAIMAN 814013114077
[Link] AHAMED 814013114092
In partial fulfilment for the award of the degree of
BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING
IN
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
SHIVANI COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
ANNA UNIVERSITY: CHENNAI 600 025
APRIL 2017
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BONAFIDE CERTIFICATE
Certified that this project report “EVALUATION OF
TRIBOLOGICAL BEHAVIOUR AND MICROSTRUCTURE OF
AA6063 - B₄C - Al₂ O₃ HYBRID COMPOSITES” is the bonafide
work of “[Link] ASARUDEEN(814013114075),
[Link] ASIK(814013114076),
[Link](814013114077),[Link](81
4013114092)” who carried out the project work under my supervision.
SIGNATURE SIGNATURE
[Link].M.E., [Link].M.E,
HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT SUPERVISOR
Assistant Professor
Mechanical Engineering Mechanical Engineering
Shivani College of Engineering and Shivani College of
Technology Engineering And Technology
Trichy-09 Trichy-09
Submitted for the Viva-Voce of Anna University Chennai Examination
held on……………….. in Shivani College of Engineering And
Technology, Trichy .
INTERNAL EXAMINER EXTERNAL EXAMINER
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
At the outset, we thank our college management and our honourable
chairman Dr. P. SELVARAJ for the necessary support in all endeavours.
We thank our beloved Principal Dr. [Link]., ME., PH.D., for his
immense support our project with encouragement and wishes and blessings.
We find no words to express our pleasure in thinking our Head of the
Department Mr.R. HARIMAHESWARAN, M.E., for his encouragement
words and deeds though this project.
We thank our guide [Link], M.E, for his valuable
suggestions and guidance without whose help, this project couldn’t have been
successful we find no things in the world that can compensate for his guidance,
with patience and pleasure on this great deal of work , but only our heart.
We thank our project co-coordinator Mr. [Link] M.E., for his
immense support in our project with encouragement and wishes and blessings.
We thank our beloved parent for providing a huge financial assistance to
support encouragement and wishes and blessings.
We also thank all our teaching and non-teaching staffs of our department.
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ABSTRACT
Nowadays the aluminum based composite is enormously used in
automobiles, aerospace and structural member due to its proven mechanical
properties. The present work focuses on the fabrication of aluminum Alloy
6063 reinforced with boron carbide and Aluminum Oxide composite
through stir casting process. This research focuses on the fabrication of
AA6063/ 5 % B4Cp of / Al2O3 in step of 4%, 8% and 12% with the help of
stir casting method. Microstructure of fabricated hybrid composites and the
tested hybrid composites will be viewed by Scanning Electron Microscope
(SEM) and then hardness test is taking to find the hardness of the hybrid
composite [Link] SEM and hardness test result were carried out for
different percentage 4%, 8% and 12% of hybrid composite materials
improve the hardness of the material especially 12% Al2O3 composition.
So,12 %Al2O3 very suitable for composite withAA 6063 material.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER TITLE PAGE NO
LIST OF TABLES ix
LIST OF FIGURES x
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS xi
1. INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 Metal Matrix Composite (MMC) 2
1.2 Area of Application of Metal Matrix Composites 3
1.3 Worldwide statistical data about the usage
of Metal Matrix Composites 3
2. LITERATURE REVIEW 6
2.1 Literature survey 6
3. PROBLEM DESCRIPTION 13
4. PROPOSED METHODOLOY 14
5. MATERIALS 15
5.1 Matrix Material 15
5.1.1 AA6063 chemical composition 15
5.1.2AA6063 physical properties 16
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5.1.3 AA6063 thermal properties 16
5.2 Reinforced material 16
5.2.1 Boron carbide description 16
5.2.2B4CP Chemical Properties 17
5.2.3B4CPparticle size available
5.2.4B4CPtypical applications 17
5.3 ceramic particles 19
5.3.1 Aluminium Oxide Properties 19
6. EXPERIMENTATION 21
6.1 stir casting process 21
6.2 Fabrications of the composites 22
6.2.1 Stirring Speed 23
6.2.2 Stirring Temperature 24
6.2.3 Reinforcement Preheats Temperature 24
6.2.4 Blade Angle 24
6.2.5 Inert Gas 24
6.2.6 Preheated Temperature of Mould 25
6.2.7 Powder Feed Rate 25
6.2.8 Heat Treatment 25
6.2.9 Aspect Ratio 25
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6.3 Fabrication Photos 26
7. SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPE TEST 30
7.1 Scanning Electron Microscope analysis 30
7.1.1 Composite material Sample 1 30
7.1.2 Composite material Sample 2 31
7.1.3 Composite material Sample 3 32
8. HARDNESS TEST 33
8.1 Hardness Test 33
8.1.1 Hardness test sample 1 34
8.1.2 Hardness test sample 2 36
8.1.3 Hardness test sample 3 38
9. CONCLUSION 40
10. FUTURE SCOPE 41
11. REFERENCES 42
vii
LIST OF TABLES
Table No. Title PageNo.
1.1 Distribution of the application of composites in Europe 4
1.2 Distribution of applications of composites in the U.S.A 5
1.3 Distribution of applications of composites in the Asia 5
5.1 AA6063 Chemical composition 15
5.2 AA6063 Physical Properties 16
5.3 B4CP Physical Constants 17
5.4 B4CP Mechanical properties 19
5.5 Al2O3 Engineering Properties 20
8.1 Hardness sample 1 34
8.2 Hardness sample 2 36
8.3 Hardness sample 3 38
viii
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure No. Title Page No.
6.1 stir casting process 22
6.2 Aluminium Alloy Rod AA6063 26
6.3 Boron Carbide powder 26
6.4 aluminium oxide powder 27
6.5 Resistance Furnace 27
6.6 Prepared Composite material 28
6.7 Testing Work Piece 28
7.1 AA 6063/ 5 % B4Cp of / Al2O3 in step of 4% -SEM 30
7.2 AA 6063/ 5 % B4Cp of / Al2O3 in step of 8% -SEM 31
7.3 AA 6063/ 5 % B4Cp of / Al2O3 in step of 12% -SEM 32
8.1 Hardness Testing Method
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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
AA6063 Aluminium Alloy
s ic Silicon Carbide
Al2o3 Aluminium Oxide
B4c Boron Carbide
MMC Metal Matrix Composites
PMMC Particulate Metal Matrix Composites
K2TiF6 Potassium Titanium Fluoride
Tic Titanium Chloride
SEC Scanning Electron Microscope
AMC Aluminium Matrix Composites
EDM Electrical Discharge Machining
RPM Revolution Per Minute