Materials and Design 63 (2014) 620632

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Materials and Design

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/matdes

Experimental investigation on mechanical behaviour, modelling

and optimization of wear parameters of B4C and graphite reinforced
aluminium hybrid composites
A. Baradeswaran a,1, S.C. Vettivel b,, A. Elaya Perumal c,2, N. Selvakumar d,3, R. Franklin Issac a,4
a
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Madha Engineering College, Chennai 600069, India
b
Department of Mechanical Engineering, V V College of Engineering, Tisaiyanvilai, 627657 Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, India
c
Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering Guindy, Anna University, Chennai 600025, India
d
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Mepco Schlenk Engineering College, Virudhunagar 626 005, Tamil Nadu, India

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Aluminium alloy (AA) 6061 and 7075 were reinforced with 10 wt.% of boron carbide (B4C) and 5 wt.% of
Received 26 February 2014 graphite through liquid casting technique. The Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Energy Disper-
Accepted 23 June 2014 sive Spectrum (EDS) were used for the characterization of composites. The wear experiment was carried
Available online 3 July 2014
out by using a pin-on-disc apparatus with various input parameters like applied load (10, 20, and 30 N),
sliding speed (0.6, 0.8, and 1.0 m/s) and sliding distance (1000, 1500, and 2000 m). Response Surface
Keywords: Methodology (RSM) using MINITAB 14 software was used to analyse the wear rate of hybrid composites
Wear
and aluminium alloys. The worn surfaces of hybrid composites and base alloys were studied through SEM
Hybrid composites
Response Surface Methodology
and EDS systems and some useful conclusions were made.
Aluminium Matrix Composites 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Optimization

1. Introduction nature. The addition of an appropriate level of the graphite particu-

Most of the studies made in automotive and aerospace eld
show that the material used for components should posses good
mechanical with better tribological properties [1]. The composite
materials are extensively used in applications like dry sliding ori-
ented situations to enhance the tribological performance of it. In
many applications, the widely selected base alloy for Metal Matrix
Composites (MMCs) is aluminium [2]; because of its high strength
to weight ratio, environmental resistance and high stiffness. How-
ever, they are poor resistant to wear; predominantly at partial or
boundary lubricating conditions. Through the solid lubricant, parti-
cle dispersion in the matrix of aluminium alloy can exhibit good
potential for wear resistance. Graphite is the commonly used solid
lubricant because of its favourable combination of properties like
low friction, chemical inertness, absence of inherent abrasiveness,
lm forming ability on metal surfaces and relatively inoffensive to
Corresponding author. Tel.: +91 9865822376; fax: +91 04637 273413.
E-mail addresses: barathme@yahoo.co.in (A. Baradeswaran), vettivel@vvcoe.org
(S.C. Vettivel), ep_mal@yahoo.com (A. Elaya Perumal), nselva@mepcoeng.ac.in (N.
Selvakumar), franklin.0508@gmail.com (R. Franklin Issac).
1
Tel.: +91 9710363105.
2
Tel.: +91 9940347766.
3 elling techniques. The latest techniques used are the regression
Tel.: +91 4562 235641.
4
Tel.: +91 7401083082.
late with Aluminium Matrix Composites (AMCs) can reduce the
wear rate of the AMCs. Matrix and reinforcement phase work
together to produce a combination of material properties that can-
not be met by a conventional material [3]. However, with the addi-
tion of graphite in aluminium matrix, leads to reduction in hardness
and exural strength [4]. To overcome this problem, both ceramic
and solid lubricants in a hybrid composite can improve the mechan-
ical and tribological properties [59]. Boron carbide (B4C) is one of
the most promising ceramic materials due to its high strength,
low density (2.52 g/cm3), high hardness and good chemical stability
[10,11]. Earlier research [12] had reported that the addition of B4C
with the aluminium alloy (AA) 7075 will enhance the wear resis-
tance of the base alloy; with an optimum amount of ceramic content
also usage of aluminium matrix can provide good potential of
mechanical and wear properties. The formation of a tribo layer or
mechanically mixed layer due to the presence of B4C had been
reported to reduce the wear rate, and it can be affected by applied
load, sliding speed and sliding distance [1317]. Generally, the com-
posites are produced by liquid casting technique, which is one of the
economic and commonly used methods in liquid metallurgy.
The statistical relation between the output variable and input
variables in an experiment can be determined by using some mod-
analysis and Response Surface Methodology (RSM). RSM is a

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.matdes.2014.06.054
0261-3069/ 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
 A. Baradeswaran et al. / Materials and Design 63 (2014) 620632 621

Table 1
Chemical composition weight percent of AA 7075 and AA 6061.

Elements Zn Cu Mn Mg Fe Cr Ti Si Al
AA 6061 0.11 0.21 0.04 0.89 0.25 0.25 0.1 0.6 Remaining
AA 7075 5.4 1.42 0.12 2.42 0.42 0.21 0.11 0.13 Remaining

Table 2
Casting process parameters.

Parameters Value Units

Preheated temperature of graphite particles 400 (C)
Preheated temperature of B4C particles 250 (C)
Preheated temperature of mould 400 (C)
Temperature of melt charge 850 (C)
Stirrer speed 500 (rpm)
Stirring time 5 (min)
Particles feed rate 0.91.5 (g/s) Fig. 2. Pin-on-Disc wear tester.

Fig. 1. Microstructure and EDX pattern (a) microstructure of AA 6061 alloy, (b) microstructure of AA 7075 alloy, (c) EDX pattern of AA 6061, (d) EDX pattern of AA 7075, (e)
microstructure of AA 6061 hybrid composite and (f) microstructure of AA 7075 hybrid composite.

blending of statistical and mathematical tools for developing, problems in which input variables inuence some performance
improving, and optimizing process [18,19]. RSM has become a over output variables. This performance measure or sometimes
common practice in engineering problems and it has been used quality characteristic is called response. RSM provides quantitative
extensively in the industrial world to examine and characterize measurements of possible interactions between factors, which are
622 A. Baradeswaran et al. / Materials and Design 63 (2014) 620632

125 0.14
AA 6061
AA 7075
120 0.12
AA 6061 hybrid
115 AA 7075 hybrid
0.1
Hardness, H B

Wear rate, mg/m

110
0.08
105
0.06
100
0.04
95

0.02
90
AA 6061 AA 7075 AA 6061 hybrid AA 7075 hybrid
0
Fig. 3. Comparison of hardness of AA and its hybrid composites. 10 15 20 25 30
Load, N

Fig. 5. Effect of applied load on wear rate.

difcult to obtain using other optimization techniques. Various
authors have investigated the application of RSM in the optimiza-
tion of the process characteristics [2025]. Radhika et al. [26]
found RSM technique as a valuable technique to deal with
responses inuenced by multi-variables. It is formulated for pro-
cess optimization and detection of optimal combination of the
parameters for a given response. This method signicantly reduces
the number of trials that are required to respond for a model.
Although the mechanical and wear properties of the several alu-
minium metallic alloys in unlubricated conditions are widely

(c) (d)
250

200
Tensile strength, MPa

150

100

50

0
AA 6061 AA 7075 AA 6061 hybrid AA 7075 hybrid

(e)
Fig. 4. Comparison of tensile behavior of various AA and its hybrid composites (a) loaddisplacement curve for AA 6061 hybrid composite, (b) loaddisplacement curve for
AA 7075 hybrid composite, (c) tensile fractograph of AA 6061 hybrid composite, (d) tensile fractograph of AA 7075 hybrid composite and (e) tensile strength of various
composite.
 A. Baradeswaran et al. / Materials and Design 63 (2014) 620632 623

3.5 0.1
AA 6061 AA 6061
AA 7075 0.09 AA 7075
3
AA 6061 hybrid AA 6061 hybrid
0.08
AA 7075 hybrid AA 7075 hybrid
2.5
0.07
Wear rate, mg/m

Wear rate, mg/m

2 0.06

0.05
1.5
0.04
1
0.03

0.5 0.02

0.01
0
1000 1500 2000
0
Sliding distance, m 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
Fig. 6. Effect of sliding distance on wear rate. Speed, m/s

investigated, such understanding in the aluminium hybrid com- Fig. 7. Effect of sliding distance on wear rate.
posite is rather limited. Wear is a system-dependent property
2. Experimental details
and therefore, the wear properties depend on operating environ-
ment, load, sliding speed, material parameters, grain size and hard-
2.1. Material preparation
ness [27]. In this research, the mechanical behaviour and the
factors inuencing wear behaviour of the hybrid composites under
Commercially available aluminium 6061 and 7075 alloys were
dry sliding conditions are analysed through RSM and the compos-
chosen as the matrix and its chemical compositions are shown in
ite is mathematically modelled through regression equation. The
Table 1. B4C and graphite with an average particle size of 16
wear mechanism map is used to identify the various regions of
20 lm were selected as the reinforcements.
wear and optimum condition.

Fig. 8. Worn surface of AA and its hybrid composite (a) AA 6061 alloy, (b) AA 7075 alloy, (c) AA 6061 Hybrid composite and (d) AA 7075 Hybrid composite.
624 A. Baradeswaran et al. / Materials and Design 63 (2014) 620632

Fig. 9. EDX pattern of hybrid composites after wear test (a) AA 6061 Hybrid composite at 10 N, (b) AA 6061 Hybrid composite at 20 N, (c) AA 7075 Hybrid composite at 10 N
and (d) AA 7075 Hybrid composite at 20 N.

By liquid casting technique, the aluminium metal matrix is

melted in a graphite crucible heated to 850 C about 1.5 kg. When Table 3
the temperature of the melt is about 30 C above the pouring tem- Input levels of wear parameters.

perature, the preheated stirrer is introduced in the melt. Agitation S. No. Parameters Levels
of the melt is started and the preheated graphite of 5 wt.% and B4C Low (1) Medium (0) High (1)
of 10 wt.% are added as reinforcements. Aluminium requires a tem-
1 Load (N) 10 20 30
perature as high as 1100 C for wetting the B4C surface completely. 2 Speed (m/s) 0.6 0.8 1.0
At such high temperature, the processing leads to the formation of 3 Sliding distance (m) 1000 1500 2000
undesirable compounds such as Al3BC, AlB2 and Al4C3 due to the
chemical reactions between Al and B4C. For improving wettability conrmed through Fig. 1(d). Fig. 1(e and f) shows the microstruc-
of B4C with aluminium alloy at below 850 C, Potassium Hexa Fluro ture of the AA 6061 and 7075 hybrid composites respectively,
Titanate (K2TiF6) ux is added. The quantity of K2TiF6 ux is equal which conrms that the elements are uniformly distributed
to the quantity of B4C added. throughout the matrix.
The mechanical stirrer is started in order to form the vortex. The
stirrer speed was kept constant at 700 rpm approximately and it
was continued 5 min. The mechanical stirring distributes the par- 2.2. Hardness test
ticle in the melts and it gives a uniform distribution of the rein-
forcements. By this, the AA 7075/B4C/graphite and AA 6061/B4C/ The hardness tests were carried out according to ASTM: E10
graphite hybrid composites are cast. The cast composites were standards using a Brinell hardness testing machine with a 10 mm
undergone T6 heat treatment of 525 C for 2 h and water quenched ball indenter and 500 kg load. The test was conducted at room
at room temperature, followed by articial aging at 175 C for 8 h temperature. The test was carried out at three different locations
and cooled at atmospheric condition. The casting parameters are to avoid the possible effect of the indenter resting on the hard rein-
shown in Table 2. forcement particles. The averages of all the readings were reported
Fig. 1(a) and (b) shows the microstructure of AA 6061 and 7075.
It shows a good chemical bonding among the Al particles, where Al 2.3. Tensile test
particles joined together to construct a solid structure. The ele-
ments peaks of aluminium and the chemical composition identi- Tensile test specimens were made as per the ASTM standard
ed with high intensity peak were magnesium, silicon and and tested in a Universal Testing Machine (Instron UTM-100 kN
manganese. The extra elements like carbon, nitrogen and oxygen static; UK, Model: 1195-5500R). As per the requirements of tensile
were identied with very low peaks in AA 7075. The Mg and Si par- testing standards of ASTM: E8, the samples were machined into a
ticles in AA 6061 are conformed by carrying out EDX analysis cylindrical shape, before measuring the tensile strength. The tests
shown in Fig. 1(c) and also the Zn particle in AA 7075 was were carried out at room temperature with a minimum cross head
 A. Baradeswaran et al. / Materials and Design 63 (2014) 620632 625

speed of 0.5 mm/min. Three samples were tested for each category third independent variable (sliding distance) was varied 1000 m
to obtain the tensile test result; each result is an average of four to 2000 m. The dependent variable is wear mass loss.
readings.

3. Results and discussion

2.4. Wear test
Dry sliding wear tests were conducted using a pin on disk tester
according to ASTM: G99 standard as shown in Fig. 2. The wear tests
for cast cylindrical pins were conducted against oil hardened nickel
steel with hardness of 62 HRc at room temperature 32 C with
humidity of 65% under dry sliding conditions. The wear test was
conducted by varying applied load of 10, 20 and 30 N along with
sliding speed of 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0 ms1 for the sliding distance of
10002000 m with regular interval of 500 m. The dimensions of
the pin are diameter 6 mm and height 20 mm. All experiments
were conducted under atmospheric room conditions. During slid-
ing, the load was applied on the specimen and it was brought into
intimate contact with the rotating disc. The diameter of the sliding
track on the disc surface was 27 mm. In each test after running the
xed sliding distance the specimen was removed, cleaned with
acetone, dried and weighed to determine the weight loss due to
wear. The weight loss of the pin was found by using an electronic
weighing balance with the accuracy of 0.1 mg. The wear rates were
determined using the weight loss method. Weight loss data has
been converted to wear rate as explained in [11]. The morphology
of the worn surfaces of composites was examined using HITACHI-
S3400 Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM).
2.5. Response Surface Methodology
The optimization process involves the studying the response
based on the combinations, estimating the coefcients, tting the
experimental data, predicting the response and checking the ade-
quacy of the tted model [25]. The sliding speed, applied load
and sliding distance were chosen as the independent variables
and wear mass loss was selected as the response variable. The rst
independent variable (sliding speed) was varied over two levels
(0.6 and 1.0 m/s) relative to the centre point 0.8 m/s, while the sec-
ond independent variable (applied load) was varied over the low
and high levels of 10 and 30 N with the centre point of 20 N. The
3.1. Effect of hardness
The hardness of the aluminium alloys is increased with the
addition of B4C reinforcements. The increase in the hardness is
due to the addition of 10 wt.% B4C particles and 5% graphite, which
can be attributed to the fact that the B4C and graphite possess
higher hardness and its presence in the matrix improves the hard-
ness of the composite. This is shown in Fig. 3. The results are in
good agreement with the ndings [11].
3.2. Effect of tensile strength
Fig. 4(a and b) clearly indicates the various recorded values of
AA 6061 hybrid composite and AA 7075 hybrid composite in the
relationship between the load and the displacement during a ten-
sile test. The graphs conrm that the displacement is more in AA
6061 hybrid composite. Fig. 4(c and d) shows the fact that the
AA hybrid composites have larger, uniformly distributed voids,
but the AA 7075 hybrid composite in Fig. 4(c) are minimal. Even
though the signs of ductile fracture can be seen in both fracture
morphology the ductile fracture is high in the AA 6061 hybrid com-
posite and marginal in the AA 7075 hybrid composite. It conrms
that % of elongation decreases in the AA 7075 hybrid composite.
This is mainly due to the hard nature of the elements present in
the AA 7075. The tensile strength test result is shown in Fig. 4(e).
The tensile strength has been observed to increase with increasing
B4C particle content and it is signicantly higher than the strength
of the matrix alloy. The improvement in strength noticed with the
addition of B4C particles, could be due to the induction of higher
strength B4C particles into the matrix alloy, which offers more
resistance to the tensile stress. Since the addition of weaker graph-
ite particles is low (5 wt.%) compared to harder B4C particles, the
defeat was overcome. The structure and properties of B4C rein-
forcement increase the mechanical properties of the composites
that are resend to the strong interface that transfers and distrib-

Table 4
Analytical table of response for the independent variables.

Load Speed Sliding distance AA 6061 AA 7075 AA 6061 hybrid AA 7075 hybrid S/N ratios Standard deviations Mean
10 0.6 1000 30.8 23.2 7 5.1 55.2292 6.353169 1.704857
20 0.6 1000 44.6 33 10.5 7.1 55.2305 6.34824 1.679853
30 0.6 1000 57.2 41.4 13.1 8.7 55.2327 6.343365 1.655463
10 0.8 1000 34 25.2 8.4 5.3 55.2292 6.353067 1.704346
20 0.8 1000 49.6 36.5 10.3 7.8 55.2305 6.348136 1.679349
30 0.8 1000 44.2 32.3 9.5 7 55.2327 6.231634 1.480025
10 1 1000 34 25.2 8.5 5.3 55.2292 6.352965 1.703835
20 1 1000 49.6 36.5 10.4 7.7 55.2305 6.348032 1.678845
10 0.6 1500 35.3 26.4 7.9 5.8 58.7508 6.760389 1.713845
20 0.6 1500 51 37.4 11.8 8.1 58.7514 6.757087 1.696962
30 0.6 1500 65.5 46.9 14.7 9.9 58.7524 6.753809 1.680357
10 0.8 1500 38.9 28.6 9.4 5.9 58.7508 6.760322 1.713503
20 0.8 1500 56.8 41.4 11.5 8.8 58.7514 6.757019 1.696623
30 0.8 1500 50.6 36.6 10.6 7.9 58.7524 6.75374 1.680021
10 1 1500 38.9 28.5 9.5 5.9 58.7508 6.760254 1.71316
20 1 1500 56.8 41.4 11.7 8.8 58.7514 6.756951 1.696283
30 1 1500 50.6 36.6 10.6 8 58.7524 6.75367 1.679685
10 0.6 2000 49.3 36.4 11.4 8 61.2495 7.048951 1.718368
20 0.6 2000 60.3 43 13.4 10.4 61.2498 7.046469 1.705624
30 0.6 2000 74 52.3 17.2 11 61.2504 7.043999 1.693039
10 0.8 2000 46.2 32.9 10.8 7.7 61.2495 7.048901 1.71811
20 0.8 2000 64.3 46.1 13.6 9.8 61.2498 6.93482 1.525214
30 0.8 2000 70.8 50.4 15.5 11 61.2504 6.93235 1.513959
10 1 2000 46.2 32.8 10.8 7.7 61.2495 7.04885 1.717853
626 A. Baradeswaran et al. / Materials and Design 63 (2014) 620632

(a) (b)

(c) (d)
Fig. 10. Input data analysis of various AA and its hybrid composite (a) AA 6061, (b) AA 7075, (c) AA 6061hybrid composite and (d) AA 7075 hybrid composite.

Table 5a Table 5b
Analysis of variance for AA 6061. Analysis of variance for AA 7075.

Source Degree of Sum of Mean F- p- Source Degree of Sum of Mean F- p-

freedom squares squares ratio Value freedom squares squares ratio Value

Load 2 1924.69 962.34 45.9 0 Load 2 931.91 465.96 45.16 0

Speed 2 11.76 5.88 0.28 0.001 Speed 2 7.56 3.78 0.37 0.001
Distance 2 1425.4 712.7 33.99 0 Distance 2 625.11 312.55 30.29 0
Error 20 419.36 20.97 Error 20 206.38 10.32
Total 26 3781.2 Total 26 1770.96
 A. Baradeswaran et al. / Materials and Design 63 (2014) 620632 627

Table 5c utes the load from the matrix to the reinforcements exhibiting
Analysis of variance for AA 6061 hybrid composite. increased tensile strength.
Source Degree of Sum of Mean F- p-
freedom squares squares ratio Value
3.3. Wear behaviour
Load 2 62.156 31.078 22.27 0
Speed 2 3.801 1.9 1.36 0.001
3.3.1. Effect of wear rate on load
Distance 2 69.934 34.967 25.05 0
Error 20 27.914 1.396 The variation of wear rate with respect to applied load is shown
Total 26 163.805 in Fig. 5. The applied load affects the wear rate of AA and its hybrid
composites signicantly. The wear rate varies with applied load is
an indicative of Archards law and signicantly lower in the case of
hybrid composites. The wear rate increases with increasing applied
Table 5d load and it is less at AA 7075 hybrid composites as compared to
Analysis of variance for AA 7075 hybrid composite. base alloy and AA 6061 hybrid composites. This is mainly due to
the presence of Zn in AA 7075. However, at all load conditions
Source Degree of Sum of Mean F- p-
freedom squares squares ratio Value are considered the wear resistance of the hybrid composites were
superior to the matrix alloy and good agreement with [28,30,31].
Load 2 40.439 20.219 68.2 0
Speed 2 0.623 0.311 1.05 0.001
Distance 2 37.41 18.705 63.09 0 3.3.2. Effect of wear rate on sliding distance
Error 20 5.93 0.296
The variation of wear rate with sliding distance is shown in
Total 26 84.401
Fig. 6. With increase in sliding distance, there is a higher wear rate
for cast aluminium alloy 6061 and 7075 and its hybrid composites
[30,31]. Increasing sliding distance the temperature is raised of the

Fig. 11. Variations in wear mass loss with respect to applied load and sliding distance (a) AA 6061, (b) AA 7075, (c) AA 6061 hybrid composite and (d) AA 7075 hybrid
composite.
628 A. Baradeswaran et al. / Materials and Design 63 (2014) 620632
sliding surfaces this leads to softening of the matrix and composite
pin surfaces, leading to larger deformation at high sliding distances
[25]. This contributes to higher wear rate for AA matrix and com-
posites at all this sliding distance considered the wear rate of the
hybrid composites was much lower when compared with the
matrix alloys [30]. As compared to AA 6061 hybrid composites,
AA 7075 hybrid composite was less. This can be attributed to the
enhancement in the hardness of hybrid composites. The increase
in hybrid composite hardness results in improvement of wear
and seizure resistance to wear. B4C particles reinforced hybrid
composite posses better plastic forming capability than matrix
alloy. The presence of graphite in the hybrid composite which act
as an effective insulating layer between the two mating surfaces
which will lead to further reduction of wear rate. When these rein-
forcements are combined with AA, the resulting hybrid composite
material exhibits superior wear resistance to matrix [30,31].
3.3.3. Effect of wear rate on sliding speed
The variation of wear rate with respect to sliding speed at
higher sling distance of 2000 m with a load of 30 N is shown in
Fig. 7. With increase in speed, there is a mild increase in wear rate
for cast aluminium alloy 6061 and 7075 and its hybrid composites.
Increasing sliding speed the temperature is raised of the sliding
surfaces this leads to softening of the matrix and composite pin
Fig. 12. Variation in wear mass loss with respect to applied load and sliding speed (a) AA 6061, (b) AA 7075, (c) AA 6061 hybrid composite and (d) AA 7075 hybrid composite.
surfaces. As compared to AA alloy and hybrid composites, the wear
rate in AA 7075 hybrid composite was less. This is due to the
enhancement in the hardness. The increase in hybrid composite
hardness results in improvement of wear resistance. The presence
of graphite and B4C particles in the hybrid composite will lead to
further reduction of wear rate [28,30].
3.3.4. Worn surface analysis
The detailed micro structural investigation of worn surfaces of
AA 6061, AA 7075 and its hybrid composites were carried out using
SEM. In order to demonstrate the difference in wear mechanism,
SEM images of worn surfaces, after testing at highest load 30 N
at higher sliding speed 1 m/s with a sliding distance 2000 m have
been selected and discussed in detail.
The worn surface of the composites is shown in Fig. 8. From this,
the less worn surface was identied in AA 7075 hybrid composite
than the AA 6061 hybrid composite and their base alloys. This is
due to the improved material strength of the base alloy AA 7075
by the addition of hard ceramic B4C and self lubricating behaviour
of graphite. This analysis proves that aluminium alloys wear resis-
tance can be improved with the addition of B4C and graphite rein-
forcements [19]. It also concludes that AA 7075 hybrid composite
has good potential of the tribological behaviour compared to AA
6061 hybrid composite.
 A. Baradeswaran et al. / Materials and Design 63 (2014) 620632
Fig. 8(a) shows the SEM image of AA 6061pin surface after the
wear test which reveals the grooves and some cracks appearing
along parallel to the sliding direction. When the disc contacts the
sample, the hard protruding point of the counter steel body presses
the AA 6061 specimen. The scuff and adhesion occur, which hinder
the movement between the pin and the disc. Consequently, wear
mass loss become high. The development of cracks is possible
due to the indentation effect exerted by the hardened worn debris
from AA 6061. Continuous and wide grooves, spalling pits and
severe plastic deformation are observed on wear track.
Fig. 8(b) is the SEM image of AA 7075 after the wear test, which
shows a deep groove, the transfer layer of compacted wear debris
along with the wear tracks over the sliding surface as discussed in
[25]. This layer reaches a critical thickness before being detached,
resulting eventually in generation of wear debris. The other reason
for the lower wear loss in AA 7075 is their higher hardness as com-
pared to AA 6061and its extra elements resulting in a lower real
area of contact hence with lower wear rate.
Fig. 8(c and d) is the SEM image of AA 6061 & AA 7075 hybrid
composite after wear test, which shows a small delaminating of
surface layers. The addition of B4C and graphite particles to AA
6061 & AA 7075 considerably increased the hardness of composite
and resulted in a reduction of the groove size and extent of plastic
deformation of the matrix. In this case, the wear loss of the
Fig. 13. Variation in wear mass loss with respect to applied load and sliding distance (a) AA 6061, (b) AA 7075, (c) AA 6061 hybrid composite and (d) AA 7075 hybrid
composite.
629
composite is reduced considerably [ ]. Fig. 8(c and d) conrm, AA
6061 hybrid composite groove depth is large when compared to
the AA 7075 hybrid composites. Also grooves were smoothly
formed due to the reinforcing particles of B4C and graphite [19,25].
The EDX prole of the worn surface of AA 6061 and AA 7075
hybrid composite at 10 N and 20 N are shown in Fig. 9. The pre-
dominant peaks of aluminium alloy and reinforcement particles
with Fe and O peaks are observed. The oxide present in the worn
surface is conrmed through this study and this oxide act as a pro-
tective layer. Fe peaks indicating the reinforcement particles
abrade the counter steel surface material, this leads to transfer of
iron from the counter body to pin surface, and MML is formed
which is a key role player in the reduction of wear in hybrid com-
posites. From all this EDX proles the presence of O peak conrms
the oxidative wear [19,25]. But the oxide and iron present in this
system are less compared to the AA 7075 Hybrid composite. Due
to that the wear rate is increased as compared to the AA 7075
Hybrid composite at both loads.
3.4. Mathematical modelling and optimization
The wear test is conducted as per the ASTM: G99 standard, and
the wear mass loss for the pins of the base alloys and the hybrid
composites are measured by using the digital weighing machine.
630 A. Baradeswaran et al. / Materials and Design 63 (2014) 620632

(a) (b)

(c)
Fig. 14. Response of specic wear rate for the independent variables (a) Means, (b) SN ratios and (c) Standard deviations.

Table 6
Response table for S/N ratios. Table 7
Response table for standard deviations.
Level Load Speed Distance
1 27.22 29.44 27.43 Level Load Speed Distance
2 30.23 29.27 28.61 1 19.55 25.73 19.92
3 30.53 29.27 29.75 2 27.26 24.83 22.83
Delta 3.31 0.17 4.09 3 28.59 24.84 25.97
Rank 2 3 1 Delta 9.04 0.90 11.88
Rank 2 3 1
Smaller is better.

The results of wear test are consolidated for the modelling of

hybrid composites wear behaviour through the tools of MINITAB
14 software. The experiment is designed according to the selected
three factors with three levels and it is given in Tables 3 and 4 as
explained in [25,29,31].
Table 4 shows the response of the wear mass loss for the com-
posites with respect to the independent factors such as applied
load, sliding velocity and sliding distance. All the experimental
results were analyzed through RSM to obtain an empirical model
for the best response. All the coefcients were tested for their sig-
nicance at the 95% condence level using MINITAB 14 statistical
software package. After determining the signicant coefcients,
the nal models were developed using only these coefcients
 A. Baradeswaran et al. / Materials and Design 63 (2014) 620632
and the nal mathematical models were developed to estimate the
wear mass loss [25,29]. The mathematical expression for the vari-
ous AA and its hybrid composites are shown below:
Wear mass lossAA7075 Hybrid 2:45 0:129  Load
 0:792  Speed
0:00246  Distance
Wear mass lossAA6061 Hybrid 4:91 0:166  Load
 1:86  Speed
0:00316  Distance
Wear mass lossAA7075 11:4 0:616  Load  2:83  Speed
0:0105  Distance 3
Wear mass lossAA6061 14:0 0:897  Load  3:46  Speed
0:0149  Distance
3.4.1. Checking of data and adequacy of model
The normality of the data was done by means of the normal
probability plot. The normal probability plot of the residuals for
wear mass loss for the various AA and its hybrid composite is
shown in Fig. 10. Normal probability plot for wear mass loss
reveals that the residuals are falling on the straight line. This
means the errors, distributed normally. Independence of the data
was tested by plotting a graph between the residuals and the run
order for a wear mass loss conrms that there was no predictable
pattern observed because all the run residues lay on or between
the levels. The signicance of the developed model was tested
using ANOVA technique. The determination coefcient (R2) indi-
cates the goodness of ts of the model [25]. In this case, the value
of the determination coefcient (R2 = 0.9800) indicates that only
less than 5% of the total variance is not explained by the model.
The value of the adjusted determination coefcient (adjusted
R2 = 0.9600) is also high, which indicates a high signicance of
the model. Predicted R2 is also in good agreement with the
adjusted R2. The value of probability is less than F, which means
that the model is signicant [25,29]. The ANOVA result of the wear
mass loss for AA and its hybrid composite is shown in Tables 5a
5d, which indicates that the predictability of the model for wear
mass loss is at 95% condence level, because the P is 0.001. The
predicted response ts well with those of experimentally obtained
responses. The p-value is less than 0.05 indicating that the model is
statistically signicant [25,29].
3.4.2. Optimization
The analysis is based on the Smaller is better concept, so that
the composite with lowest wear mass loss will be considered as
optimum [25]. From this Table 4, the counter graphs are plotted
to identify the response; the plots are based on the various combi-
nations of independent variables. The 2D contour map was devel-
oped by using Minitab; the various regions in the mechanism are
easily identied with the help of changes in the contour plot. The
plot has been made between load, speed and distance for the cor-
responding value of wear rate [19]. Fig. 11 shows the graphical rep-
resentation of the response for the independent variables applied
load and sliding distance. Fig. 11(ad) shows the effect of load
and distance on wear rate map. Fig. 11(a and b) is the wear rate
map for AA 6061 and AA 7075. Fig. 11(c and d) is the wear rate
map for hybrid composite. It conrms that only medium and low
wear rate regions are identied in AA 7075 and blue distribution
was dominant [19]. The presence of blue region in the graph evi-
dences that the AA 7075 hybrid composite has the lowest wear
631
Table 8
Response table for means.
Level Load Speed Distance
1 14.76 19.65 15.34
2 21.17 19.22 17.53
3 22.15 19.21 20.10
1 Delta 7.40 0.44 9.12
Rank 2 3 1
mass loss compared to base alloys AA 7075, AA 6061 and AA
2 6061 hybrid composite.
Fig. 12 shows the graphical representation of the response for
the independent variables applied load and speed. Fig. 12(a and
c) is the wear rate map for AA 6061 and AA 6061 hybrid composite.
Fig. 12(b and d) is the wear rate map for AA 7075 and AA 7075
hybrid composite. It conrms that only low wear rate regions are
identied in AA 7075 and its hybrid composite. The presence of
4 blue region in the graph evidences that the AA 7075 hybrid com-
posite has the lowest wear mass loss compared to the base alloy
and AA 6061 hybrid composite. Also conrms that at lower load
has minimum wear mass loss [19,25].
Fig. 13 shows the graphical model of the response for the inde-
pendent variables sliding distance and sliding speed. The presence
of blue region in the AA 7075 hybrid composite graphical model
conrms that the AA 7075 hybrid composite has the lowest wear
compared to others. The results of the above analysis show that
the maximum wear resistance (Dark blue region) is offered by
the AA 7075/graphite/B4C hybrid composite under all dry sliding
conditions and good agreement with the [18,19].
The analysis based on means, SN ratios and standard deviations
are shown in Fig. 14. This work shows the effect of independent
variables applied load, sliding distance and sliding speed on depen-
dent variable wear mass loss. Tables 68, provides the rank for the
independent variables based on the response of wear mass loss of
the composites. From this ranking, it is a witness that the factor
which mainly inuences the wear mass loss of the composites.
The concept of smaller is better shows the optimal parameters
which inuence lower wear mass loss for the composites. Accord-
ing to this concept, the sliding distance is the major factor inuenc-
ing higher wear mass loss, followed by that applied load and then
sliding speed. Under this optimal condition, i.e. 10 N load with slid-
ing distance of 2000 m and 0.8 m/s sliding speed, which is deter-
mined from the response table; the AA 7075/B4C/graphite hybrid
composite exhibits the highest wear resistance (lower wear mass
loss) property compared to base alloys and AA 6061 hybrid
composite.
4. Conclusions
In the present work, characterization, mechanical and a number
of wear tests were carried out on AA 6061, AA 7075, AA 6061
hybrid and AA 7075 hybrid composites. Based on the present
experimental work, the following conclusions can be drawn:
(1) The AA 7075 and AA 6061 hybrid composites have been suc-
cessfully produced by the liquid casting route.
(2) The high hardness and good % of elongation obtained in the
AA 7075 hybrid composite compared to the AA 6061 alloy
and its hybrid composite.
(3) The wear resistance of the composites was increased with
the addition of 10 wt.% B4C and 5 wt.% graphite particles.
The wear rate is signicantly less for the composites com-
pared to base matrix. The MML formed on the worn surface
of the composite is the key role played in controlling the
wear properties of the composites.
632 A. Baradeswaran et al. / Materials and Design 63 (2014) 620632
(4) The mathematical models using response surface regression
analysis are formulated and overlaid contour plots represen-
tation the model have been drawn for AA 6061, AA 7075 and
its hybrid composites being the common factor in combina-
tion with sliding distance, sliding speed and load.
(5) The graphical and analytical results of RSM show the opti-
mum combination of applied load (10 N), sliding speed
(0.8 m/s) and sliding distance (2000 m) for the minimum
wear rate.
(6) Under this optimal condition, the AA 7075/B4C/graphite
hybrid composite exhibits higher wear resistance property
compared to base alloys and AA 6061 hybrid composite.
AA 7075 hybrid composite has good potential of tribological
behaviour.
References
[1] Wang DZ, Peng HX, Liu J, Yao CK. Wear behaviour and microstructural changes
of SiCw-Al composite under unlubricated sliding friction. Wear
1995;184(2):18792.
[2] Harris SJ. Cast metal matrix composites. Mater Sci Technol 1998;4(3):2319.
[3] Jha AK, Prasad SV, Upadhyaya GS. Dry sliding wear of sintered 6061 aluminium
alloy/graphite particle composite. Tribol Inter 1989:3217.
[4] Jun D, Yao-hui L, Si-rong Y, Wen-fang L. Dry sliding friction and wear
properties of Al2O3 and carbon short bres reinforced Al12Si alloy hybrid
composites. Wear 2004;257:93040.
[5] Vettivel SC, Selvakumar N, Vijay Ponraj P. Mechanical behaviour of sintered
Cu-5% W nano composite. Proced Eng 2012;38:287480.
[6] Zhan Y, Zhang G. The role of graphite particles in the high temperature wear of
copper hybrid composites against steel. Mater Des 2006;27:7984.
[7] Rao RN, Das S. Effect of matrix alloy and inuence of SiC particle on the sliding
wear characteristics of aluminium alloy composites. Mater Des
2010;31:12007.
[8] Rao RN, Das S, Mondal DP, Dixit G. Dry sliding wear behaviour of cast high
strength aluminium alloy (AlZnMg) and hard particle composites. Wear
2009;267:168895.
[9] Toptan F, Kilicarslan A, Karaaslan A, Cigdem M, Kerti I. Processing and
microstructural characterisation of AA 1070 and AA 6063 matrix B4Cp
reinforced composites. Mater Des 2010;31:8791.
[10] Topcu I, Gulsoy HO, Kadioglu N, Gulluoglu AN. Processing and mechanical
properties of B4C reinforced Al matrix composites. J Alloys Compd
2009;482:51621.
[11] Baradeswaran A, Elayaperumal A. Inuence of B4C on the tribological and
mechanical properties of Al 7075B4C composites. Composites: Part B
2013;54:14652.
[12] Riahi AR, Alpas AT. The role of tribolayers on the sliding wear behaviour of
graphite MMC. Wear 2001;251:1396407.
[13] Constantin V, Scheed L, Masounave J. Sliding wear of aluminium silicon
carbide metal matrix composites. J Tribol 1999;121:78794.
[14] Rohatgi PK, Liu Y, Barr TL. Tribological behavior and surface analysis of
tribodeformed Al alloy-50 pct graphite particle composites. Metall Trans A
1991;22A:143541.
[15] Tjong SC, Wu SQ, Liao HC. Wear behaviour of an Al12% Si alloy reinforced
with a low volume fraction of SiC particles. Compo Sci Technol
1997;57:15518.
[16] Urena A, Rams J, Campo M, Snchez M. Effect of reinforcement coatings on the
dry sliding wear behaviour of aluminium/SiC particles/carbon bres hybrid
composites. Wear 2009;266:112836.
[17] Myers RH, Montgomery DC. Response surface methodology. John Wiley and
Sons, Inc.; 1995.
[18] Vettivel SC, Selvakumar N, Leema N. Experimental and prediction of sintered
CuW composite by using articial neural networks. Mater Des
2013;45:32335.
[19] Vettivel SC, Selvakumar N, Leema N, Lenin A Haiter. Electrical resistivity, wear
map and modelling of extruded tungsten reinforced copper composite. Mater
Des 2014;56:97796.
[20] Senthilkumar C, Ganesan G, Karthikeyan R. Study of electrochemical
machining characteristics of Al/SiCp composites. Int J Adv Manuf Technol
2009;43:25663.
[21] Oraon B, Majumdar G, Ghosh B. Parametric optimization and prediction of
electroless NiB deposition. Mater Des 2007;28:213847.
[22] Huiping L, Guoqun Z, Shanting N, Yiguo L. Technologic parameter optimization
of gas quenching process using response surface methods. Comput Mater Sci
2007;38:56170.
[23] Oktem H, Erzurumlu T, Kurtaran H. Application of response surface
methodology in the optimization of cutting conditions for surface roughness.
J Mater Process Technol 2005;170:116.
[24] Correia DS, Gonalves CV, Cunha SSC, Ferraresi VA. Comparison between
genetic algorithms and response surface methodology in GMAW welding
optimization. J Mater Process Technol 2005;160:706.
[25] Vettivel SC, Selvakumar N, Narayanasamy R, Leema N. Numerical modelling,
prediction of CuW nano powder composite in drysliding wear condition
using response surface methodology. Mater Des 2013;50:97796.
[26] Radhika N, Subramanian R, Venkat Prasat S. Tribological behaviour of
aluminium/alumina/graphite hybrid metal matrix composite using Taguchis
techniques. J Miner Mater Charact Eng 2011;10(5):42743.
[27] Deuis RL, Subramanian C, Yellup JM. Dry sliding wear of aluminium
composites a review. Compos Sci Technol 1997;57:41535.
[28] Selvakumar N, Vettivel SC. Thermal, electrical and wear behavior of sintered
CuW nano composite. Mater Des 2013;46:1625.
[29] Rajakumar S, Muralidharan C, Balasubramanian V. Predicting tensile strength
hardness and corrosion rate of friction-stir-welded AA6061-T6 aluminium
alloy joints. Mater Des 2011;32:287890.
[30] Baradeswaran A, ElayaPerumal A. Study on mechanical and wear properties of
Al 7075/Al2O3 Graphite hybrid composites. Composites: Part B
2014;56:46471.
[31] Baradeswaran A, ElayaPerumal A, Franklin Issac R. A Statistical analysis of
optimization of wear behaviour of Al-Al2O3 composites using Taguchi
technique. Proced Eng 2013;64:97382.