EFFECT OF PROCESS PARAMETERS ON THE MECHANICAL AND WEAR PROPERTIES OF AA6061/B4Cp COMPOSITES FABRICATED USING FRICTION STIR PROCESSING

The improved mechanical properties of AA6061 make it ideal for a wide range of industries, including aerospace, nuclear, defense, and marine. The development of empirical relationships for optimizing the parameters that influence the fabrication of AA6061/B4Cp composite is vital for using this composite in the above applications. In this study, the composites are fabricated using FSP by reinforcing B4C particles in AA6061 plates. In order to optimize the experimental conditions, a central composite rotatable design (CCRD) matrix with four factors and five levels was used. The response surface methodology (RSM) has been used to develop empirical relationships between process parameters such as tool rotational speed, traverse feed, tool tilt angle, penetration depth, and output factors such as yield strength, ultimate tensile strength (UTS), % of elongation, microhardness, and wear rate. Microstructural characterization of AA6061/B4Cp composites has been done in order to examine the effect of process parameters on the composite properties. The fabricated composites showed a maximum yield strength of 135MPa, a UTS of 172MPa, % elongation of 8.1, a microhardness of 179 VHN, and a minimum wear rate of 0.001185mm(3)/m. Upon analyzing the wear surface and wear debris of the composites, it was found that abrasion is the predominant wear mechanism. These experiments result in increased wear resistance for nuclear, defense and aerospace parts.