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Microstructural Evaluation of Inductively Sintered Aluminum Matrix Nanocomposites Reinforced with Silicon Carbide and/or Graphene Nanoplatelets for Tribological Applications

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Abstract

Silicon carbide (SiC) nanoparticles (NP) and/or graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) were incorporated into the aluminum matrix through colloidal dispersion and mixing of the powders, followed by consolidation using a high-frequency induction heat sintering process. All the nanocomposite samples exhibited high densification (> 96 pct) with a maximum increase in Vickers microhardness by 92 pct relative to that of pure aluminum. The tribological properties of the samples were determined at the normal frictional forces of 10 and 50 N. At relatively low load of 10 N, the adhesive wear was found to be the predominant wear mechanism, whereas in the case of a 50 N normal load, there was significant contribution from abrasive wear possibly by hard SiC NP. From wear tests, the values for the coefficient of friction (COF) and the normalized wear rate were determined. The improvement in hardness and wear resistance may be attributed to multiple factors, including high relative density, uniform SiC and GNP dispersion in the aluminum matrix, grain refinement through GNP pinning, as well as inhibition of dislocation movement by SiC NP. The nanocomposite sample containing 10 SiC and 0.5 GNP (by wt pct) yielded the maximum wear resistance at 10 N normal load. Microstructural characterization of the nanocomposite surfaces and wear debris was performed using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The synergistic effect of the GNP and SiC nanostructures accounts for superior wear resistance in the aluminum matrix nanocomposites.

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Acknowledgment

The authors would like to extend their sincere appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Saud University for its funding of this research through the Research Group Project No. RGP-283.

Conflict of interest

The authors express no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center of Excellence for Research in Engineering Materials, Deanship of Scientific Research, King Saud University, P.O. Box 800, Riyadh, 11421, Saudi Arabia

    Mohammad Islam & Iftikhar Ahmad

  2. Institute of Energy Technologies and Centre for Research in Nanoengineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain

    Yasir Khalid

  3. College of Engineering, Prince Sultan University, P.O. Box 66833, Riyadh, 11586, Saudi Arabia

    Abdulhakim A. Almajid

  4. Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, King Saud University, P.O. Box 800, Riyadh, 11421, Saudi Arabia

    Abdulhakim A. Almajid

  5. Research Centre in Physics of Matter and Radiation (PMR), LISE Laboratory, University of Namur, 5000, Namur, Belgium

    Amine Achour

  6. Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering, New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology, Socorro, NM, 87801, USA

    Theresa J. Dunn

  7. School of Chemical and Materials Engineering, National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad, 44000, Pakistan

    Aftab Akram

  8. Department of Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering, King Saud University, P.O. Box 800, Riyadh, 11421, Saudi Arabia

    Saqib Anwar

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  1. Mohammad Islam
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  2. Yasir Khalid
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  3. Iftikhar Ahmad
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  4. Abdulhakim A. Almajid
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Correspondence to Mohammad Islam.

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Manuscript submitted December 1, 2017.

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Islam, M., Khalid, Y., Ahmad, I. et al. Microstructural Evaluation of Inductively Sintered Aluminum Matrix Nanocomposites Reinforced with Silicon Carbide and/or Graphene Nanoplatelets for Tribological Applications. Metall Mater Trans A 49, 2963–2976 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-018-4625-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-018-4625-0

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