Effect of Age-Hardening Temperature on Mechanical and Wear Behavior of Furnace-Cooled Al7075-Tungsten Carbide Composite
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Fabrication of Composites
2.2. Measurement of Performance Measures
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Microstructure Analysis Using SEM
3.2. Microstructure Analysis Using SEM
3.3. Tensile, Hardness and Impact Behavior of Composites
3.4. Fractography Study
3.5. Surface Topography Analysis
3.6. Wear Behavior of Composites
3.7. Analysis of Wear Mechanism
4. Conclusions
- The tensile test shows that at the 250 °C age-hardening temperature, the specimen reveals higher tensile strength. The tensile strength of the 250 °C aged composite improved up to 37.1% and nominal hardness increased to 50.85%, when compared with the non-aged Al7075-WC composite, due to the presence of a higher amount of secondary phase of Al and Mg precipitates.
- The maximum impact energy was observed with the 450 °C age-hardened Al7075-WC composite with an increase of 92.2%, when compared to the non-aged composite. The tensile strength, nominal hardness and impact energy of the Al7075-WC composite decreased when the composite specimens aged at 350 °C with 30.86%, 4.7% and 24.9%, respectively, as compared to the composite aged at 250 °C, due to the dissolving of the precipitates of aluminum and magnesium compounds.
- The dimples present on the fractured surface of the Al7075-WC composites subjected to the tensile test indicated ductile fracture. The tensile fracture in the fabricated samples was a mixture of the ductile and brittle mode, according to SEM fractography investigation.
- The microstuctural analysis shows that age hardening improves the reduction in the space between the reinforcement particles of WC in the Al7075 matrix that resist the boundary dislocation of the composite, which shows fine grains at 250 °C and also spheroid WC reinforcement forms, flakes and needle-like boundaries, which increase the properties of the composites.
- The wear test was performed on a pin-on disc with various age-hardening temperatures of the Al7075-WC composites at a load of 10 N, 20 N and 30 N with a sliding distance of 1000 m, 1500 m and 2000 m. The better wear resistance was observed in the 250 °C age-hardened composite, as compared to the non-aged and aged at 150 °C, 350 °C and 450 °C composites. Because of the huge quantity of plastic deformation, more material was removed from the composite surface, resulting in increased mass loss and wear rate in the composites as the load and sliding distance increased.
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Material | Chemical Composition | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Al7075 | Zn | Cu | Mg | Mn | Fe | Si | Cr | Al |
5.81 | 1.665 | 2.495 | 0.037 | 0.22 | 0.27 | 0.258 | 88.67 |
Material | Physical Properties | ||
---|---|---|---|
WC | Density (gm/cc) | Melting Point (°C) | Average Size(µm) |
15.7 | 2900 | 3–5 |
Material | Chemical Composition | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
WC | C | Fe | Mo | Si | Na | K | Ca | W |
6.11–6.16 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.005 | 0.003 | 0.002 | 0.004 | 93.776–93.726 |
Specification | Average Tensile Strength (MPa) | Average Brinell Hardness Number | Average Impact Energy Observed (Joules) |
---|---|---|---|
Non-aged | 91.35 | 83.43 | 2.06 |
Aged at 150 °C | 99.63 | 107.63 | 2.46 |
Aged at 250 °C | 125.25 | 125.57 | 3.66 |
Aged at 350 °C | 95.71 | 119.86 | 2.93 |
Aged at 450 °C | 109.66 | 121.56 | 3.96 |
Parameters | Level |
---|---|
Load | 10 N, 20 N, 30 N |
Sliding distance | 1000 m, 1500 m, 2000 m |
Age-hardening temperature | 0 °C (non-aged), 150 °C, 250 °C, 350 °C, 450 °C |
Time | 15 min |
Speed | 600 rpm |
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Rajaram, S.; Subbiah, T.; Mahali, P.K.; Thangaraj, M. Effect of Age-Hardening Temperature on Mechanical and Wear Behavior of Furnace-Cooled Al7075-Tungsten Carbide Composite. Materials 2022, 15, 5344. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15155344
Rajaram S, Subbiah T, Mahali PK, Thangaraj M. Effect of Age-Hardening Temperature on Mechanical and Wear Behavior of Furnace-Cooled Al7075-Tungsten Carbide Composite. Materials. 2022; 15(15):5344. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15155344
Chicago/Turabian StyleRajaram, Srinivasan, Thirugnanam Subbiah, Parammasivam Kanjikovil Mahali, and Muthuramalingam Thangaraj. 2022. "Effect of Age-Hardening Temperature on Mechanical and Wear Behavior of Furnace-Cooled Al7075-Tungsten Carbide Composite" Materials 15, no. 15: 5344. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15155344