The Effect of SiC Nanoparticles’ content on Mechanical Properties and Wear Behavior of A380 Aluminum Alloy Nanocomposite Produced by Powder Metallurgy Method

Abstract

In this research, the effect of adding SiC nanoparticles on the hardness and wear behavior of A380 aluminum alloy was investigated. A380 aluminum powder and SiC nanoparticles with values of 0, 0.5, 1, and 2 wt.% were ground in a planetary ball mill in argon atmosphere for 10 hours. The weight ratio of ball to powder and the rotation speed was adjusted at 1:10 and 250 rpm, respectively. After the milling process, a hot press was used to produce the samples. The products were produced through a graphite mold with a diameter of 15 mm at a heating rate of 10 °C/min to a final sintering temperature of 520 °C and a holding time of 30 minutes in vacuum under pressure of 50 MPa and were placed in the hot press machine. The microstructure and hardness of the samples were examined using an optical microscope and Vickers hardness tester apparatus, respectively. The wear resistance was evaluated by pin-on-disk method. The greatest hardness of the samples was related to the aluminum alloy containing 0.5 wt.% SiC nanoparticles. AlA380-2 wt.% SiC nanocomposite represented the highest wear resistance compared to the other experimented samples.