Prediction of dry sliding wear behaviour of China clay particles reinforced AA6082 matrix composites using response surface methodology and analysis of the worn surfaces

This research work presents an attempt solemnly carried out to analyze and predict the wear behaviour of the cost-effective China clay particles reinforced AA6082 aluminium alloy composites. The combined effect of the independent variables (mass fraction of the reinforcement, applied load and sliding speed) on the wear loss and coefficient of friction of the composites were studied. The wear tests were conducted using a computerized pin on disc tribometer. For all the experiments the sliding distance was kept constant as 1500 m. In order to perform the experiments in an organized manner, the response surface methodology (RSM) was designated. The significant parameters which govern the wear loss and coefficient of friction were identified using the ANOVA (Analysis of variance) test. The regression equations developed to predict the response parameters (wear and coefficient of friction) were validated extensively by choosing several values of the independent variables within the design space. From the study, it was noted that RSM holds good reliability in the prediction of the wear behaviour of the composites. The composite materials exhibited better wear resistance with the increase in the incorporation of China clay particles. The worn-out samples were segregated as high, medium and low wear loss categories to analyze the worn surface morphology and to interpret the wear mechanism.