Experimental Analysis on Three Body Abrasive Wear Behaviour of Stir Cast Al LM 25/TiC Metal Matrix Composite

In this paper, the abrasive wear behavior of Al LM 25/10 wt% TiC metal matrix composite has been studied experimentally. The composite specimens were fabricated using stir casting technique. Microstructural evaluation revealed uniform distribution of reinforcement particles throughout the matrix. Abrasive wear experiments were designed for different values of load, speed and time through response surface methodology and were performed using three body abrasion tester. Surface plots for wear rate against all combinations of parameters revealed that wear rate increased with increasing load and time, but decreased with increasing speed. The generated regression equation established proper relation between parameters and wear rate, confirming the accuracy of the developed model. The results of optimization of process parameters revealed that a minimum wear rate of 0.00104 mm(3)/Nm was obtained at 27 N, 139 rpm and 3 min. Scanning electron microscope analysis results substantiated that wear rate was comparatively more at higher loads.