{"title":"Effects of TiC and Ni reinforcements on the microstructure, corrosion resistance and wear behaviour of AA6061 matrix composite","authors":"Chandan Prasad, Sumit Kumar, A. Gali","doi":"10.1007/s12034-024-03218-z","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study investigates the corrosion resistance and wear behaviour of aluminium matrix composites (AMCs) manufactured through the ultrasonic-assisted stir-casting technique. These composites were synthesized by introducing titanium carbide (TiC) and nickel (Ni) into aluminium alloys (AA6061). The X-ray diffraction results confirmed the presence of α-Al, TiC and Al<sub>3</sub>Ni phases within the composites. Microstructural examination demonstrated an uniform dispersion of TiC particles and dispersion of Al<sub>3</sub>Ni along grain boundaries. To evaluate the corrosion behaviour, samples were subjected to immersion tests and electrochemical techniques, including potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), in a 3.5 wt% NaCl solution. Immersion tests indicated that the composites exhibited slower dissolution rates than base AA6061 alloys. Potentiodynamic polarization results revealed that the inclusion of TiC and Ni reinforcements enhanced corrosion resistance, with TiC having a more pronounced influence. The EIS tests suggested that the composites had higher charge-transfer resistance than AA6061 alloys. After conducting corrosion tests, scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of the base AA6061 alloys unveiled the presence of deep pits but the inclusion of reinforcements resulted in the shallow pits. In addition, Vickers hardness tests and pin-on-disc wear tests were conducted to investigate hardness and wear properties. Notably, hybrid composites containing 3% TiC and 3% Ni exhibited a substantial 42.18% increase in hardness as compared to the base alloy. These hybrid composites also demonstrated superior wear resistance, with a wear rate that was 58.6% lower compared to AA6061 alloy and 41% less than that of the 3% Ni-reinforced composite.</p>","PeriodicalId":502,"journal":{"name":"Bulletin of Materials Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9000,"publicationDate":"2024-07-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Bulletin of Materials Science","FirstCategoryId":"88","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12034-024-03218-z","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"MATERIALS SCIENCE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
This study investigates the corrosion resistance and wear behaviour of aluminium matrix composites (AMCs) manufactured through the ultrasonic-assisted stir-casting technique. These composites were synthesized by introducing titanium carbide (TiC) and nickel (Ni) into aluminium alloys (AA6061). The X-ray diffraction results confirmed the presence of α-Al, TiC and Al3Ni phases within the composites. Microstructural examination demonstrated an uniform dispersion of TiC particles and dispersion of Al3Ni along grain boundaries. To evaluate the corrosion behaviour, samples were subjected to immersion tests and electrochemical techniques, including potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), in a 3.5 wt% NaCl solution. Immersion tests indicated that the composites exhibited slower dissolution rates than base AA6061 alloys. Potentiodynamic polarization results revealed that the inclusion of TiC and Ni reinforcements enhanced corrosion resistance, with TiC having a more pronounced influence. The EIS tests suggested that the composites had higher charge-transfer resistance than AA6061 alloys. After conducting corrosion tests, scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of the base AA6061 alloys unveiled the presence of deep pits but the inclusion of reinforcements resulted in the shallow pits. In addition, Vickers hardness tests and pin-on-disc wear tests were conducted to investigate hardness and wear properties. Notably, hybrid composites containing 3% TiC and 3% Ni exhibited a substantial 42.18% increase in hardness as compared to the base alloy. These hybrid composites also demonstrated superior wear resistance, with a wear rate that was 58.6% lower compared to AA6061 alloy and 41% less than that of the 3% Ni-reinforced composite.
期刊介绍:
The Bulletin of Materials Science is a bi-monthly journal being published by the Indian Academy of Sciences in collaboration with the Materials Research Society of India and the Indian National Science Academy. The journal publishes original research articles, review articles and rapid communications in all areas of materials science. The journal also publishes from time to time important Conference Symposia/ Proceedings which are of interest to materials scientists. It has an International Advisory Editorial Board and an Editorial Committee. The Bulletin accords high importance to the quality of articles published and to keep at a minimum the processing time of papers submitted for publication.