Analysis of Mechanical Behavior of AL 6063- Cotton Shell Ash and SiC METAL Matrix Composites using Stir Casting

(1)

Analysis of Mechanical Behavior of AL 6063- Cotton Shell Ash

and SiC METAL Matrix Composites using Stir Casting

Nadakuditi Akash1, Pamarthi Harish*2, Veeranki Mohan Srikanth3 , P Ravindra Babu4, M. R. Ch. Sastry5

1

UG student, 2 PG student, 3Assistant professor, 4Professor and Principal, 5Professor and HOD

1,2,3,4,5

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Gudlavalleru Engineering College, Gudlavalleru, Andhra Pradesh, India

Email: *[email protected] Abstract

Al-6063 with powder reinforcement consists the superiour stiffness, high strength and better wear resistance to unreinforced base alloy. Those are used for automobile spare parts,components and aircraft body applications. Metal matrix hybrid composites (MMHC) focus mainly on economoic and ecofriendly its trend to good specific strength and hardness application. Aluminium alloy as base material and cotton shell ash (CSA) and silicon carbide (SiC) as reinforcements has better properties. The practial way to create hybrid composite is too difficult in optimum conditons. In this my project work Al 6063-CSA-SiC castings with numerouis volume proportions of CSA and SiC were fabricated, by maintaining the argon environment by the enhance of botttom pouring stir casting method. The hybrid-composites (HC) are fabricated by the reinforcement with 75 μm. We found that with more % of CSA and SiC addition to enhancement in specific strength of the hybrid composite. Surface morphology powder distribution are examined in detail by computerised inverted metallurgical microsope. The fabricated hybrid composite various tests are conducted to determne the mechanical properties of density, porosity, hardness and compression was observed and to analyze the process parameters to their effect of cotton shell ash. Influence of CSA-SIC as a reinforcement of particular emphasis the result was differentiate with unrinforced aluminum alloy.

Keywords: AL6063, hybrid composite, cotton shell ash (CSA), compresson, density, micro

hardness, micro-structure, silicon carbide (SIC), stir casting methodology

INTRODUCTION

The composite materials can be made by compounding of two or more dissimilar materials together. The metallurgical and mechanical properties of those composites will be exceed than the individual components. The composite materials have two or more different phases. Those are matrix phase and reinforcement phase. In the metal composite, the metal is the prime major part and the minor constituent parts are reinforcements may be in the form of powders, particles, whiskers, continuous and discontinuous fibres. The reinforcement material are ceramic or organic form avilable in nature. Metal

matrix hybrid composites (MMHC) consists of superior metallurgical and mechanical, physical and electrical properties. These Hybrid composites consists of more than two constituting reinforcement materials. Aluminium metal matrix hybrid composites are extensively utilized due to their desirable superior mechanical properties. Those applications are diversified in production, thermal, ocean and automotive industries like marine, aircrafts, defene, automobiles, electrical wires and household utensils etc. Composite materials are the individual components are regain their own individual characteristics but are in -corporated into composite materials so as

(2)

short comes, in orderly to procure a recent developed materials. The needs of composites has becomes a essential for modern day technology, due to their enhancement of physical metallurgical and mechanical properties.the metal matrix hybrid composites (MMHC) has enhane of mechanical properties when differentiate to the standard base materials. The dimensional stifneess, high strength, better severity, enhane wear behaviour etc., make them avilable for substantial wide range of mechanical aplications. Quarry rock dust, fly ash, ceramics, E wates, ocean-wastes and agricultural-wastes are waste materials which are available free and low cost abundantly in the current environment. Simultaneously Aluminum metal matrix hybrid composites (MMHCs) are using over all in numerous structurized, constructurised and tribological applications. Major of the aero-space body parts implementations, the titanium-alloys has been replaced by aluminum alloys.

EXPERMENTAL PROCEDURE Materials and Methods

The AL6063 is an aluminum accepted alloy, in this major portions of the magnesium and silicon are the main alloying elements. The regular arrangement of the composition is supposed by Aluminum alloy union family Association. It has generally enhanced mechanical, metallurgical and tribologcial properties and is heat curable and weldable. Al6063 alloy is the regular category standard alloy employed for the aluminum extrusions. It’s allows the perfect aggregate shapes to be created with extremely for flat plate surface and so it is well supported for viewable architectural applications like windows mounting,

door-way frames, ceiling fittings, and sign board applications etc.

Figure 1: Al-6063 alloy.

Aluminium Al6063 was stir-casting with the reinforcements of cotton shell ash (CSA) and silicon carbide (Sic) particles of weight proportion percent of Al-6063 hybrid composite was fabricated. The chemical structure of Al6063 alloy is display in Table 1. Cotton shells (CS) was composed from the cotoon feild crops. And then after sweep those shells with out cotton, nuts, branches and dust. After fully drining and then flaming the shells with open environment air at dry conditions. After burninig of cotton shells collected the fined ash then after sieves for our requirement. Then after the sieved shell ash is decorbonised at temparature of 500°c. Now it is ready for our reruirement of reinforcement for aluminium Al6063. The temperatures of the inner and outer sides of furnace was precisely monitoring and perfectely managed (±1°C) using advanced thermocouples and PID controllers. The experimental work of stir casting apparatus used as 0.5 HP motor is revolving the stirrer with the blade at the numerous speeds in bitween 100 to 1800 rpm; a hydraulic elevator apparatus is used to guides the stirrer and help to moves up and down moments in contact with the composite material inner sides the furnace. Table 1: Chemical structure of Al6063.

Constituent Al Cu Cr Fe Mg Ti Si Zn Mn

(3)

procedures is used to fabricate the Al6063 alloy with proportion of reinforcements of 0%, 1%, 3%, and 5% of cotton shell ash (CSA) and silicon carbide (Sic) particles of weight percentage on aluminium Al6063 is base material possess essential

mechanical and metallurgical properties, i.e., good strength, high fatigue, compression strength and ultimate tensile strength. It is used for following applications like aircraft assemblies, automobile engines, defence and marine applications etc.

Figure 2: Cotton shell ash.

Figure 3: Silicon carbide. Table 2: Chemical composition of SiC.

Constituent SiC Si SiO2 Fe Al C

%Wt 98.5 0.3 0.5 0.03 0.1 0.3

Methodology of Stir Casting

The bottom flow type, fully advanced sensor based stir-Casting apparatus is utilized for fabricating the AlMMHCs. Initially the matrix base material is Al6063 alloy bit flakes are dropped into the 2 kg capacity of stir casting furnace. The furnace temperature was maintained at 800°C. The matrix material Al6063 is at

above 750ºC temperature of material is at liquid state. Then 10 grs of C2Cl6 is added

for degasifying the molten melt. And maintains the argon atmosphere with the help of pure argon gas. Earlier than stirring, the reinforcement is preheated 2000C at 45 min. The stirring was done by the stirrer and the stirrer speed was maintained at 600 rpm and stirring time at

(4)

molten melt in the furnace. During stirring condition both matrix material Al6063 and reinforcements are totally mixed. The die

was preheated up to 450ºC at 45 min. Finally the molten melt aluminium hybrid composite was poured into the metallic permanent die.

Figure 4: Bottom pour type Stir casting machine and die with two fingers of composite

pieces.

Spacifications For Stir-Casting Procedure

Table 3: Criteria for stir casting.

Parameters Units Values

Blade Spindle rotation Rpm 600

Stirring time of melt Min 10

Stirring temperature of the melts °C 750

Preheating temperature of CSA- SiC °C 200

Preheating of reinforcements Min 45

Preheating temperatures of die °C 450

Powder feed rate g/s 1.2-1.3

Tests Conducted  Hardness  Density  Compression  Micro structure

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS Description for Fabricated Composite

Table 4: Samples description.

Sample Selections % Wt (CSA: SiC)

0% 0

1% 75:25

3% 75:25

5% 75:25

Table 5: Composition used for metal and reinforcements. Castings Al 6063

gr

Al 6063 (%)

Reinforcement (Cotton Shell Ash + Silicon Carbide powder) gr

Reinforcement (%) 1 800 100 0 0 2 792 99 8 1 3 776 97 24 3 4 760 95 40 5

(5)

Hardness

Mechanical properties of Al6063 hybrid composite like brinells hardness of the fabricated hybrid composites was evaluated by using Brinells hardness tester with the scale of HRA. The specimens fabriation and testing was proceedings for the hardness measuring

was convey the following of ASTM E-8 standards in those spcimenss are suscetable to the straight load of 100 gr for 10s; multiple times of hardness trails was supervised on each specimens for precise results and the averages are taken as the hardness of the fabricated AlMMHC specimens.

Figure 5: Brniells hardness tester.

Table 6: Hardness of Al6063/ (CSA: SiC) hybrid composite.

Reinforcement % Hardness (BHN)

Trail 1 Trail 2 Trail 3 Average

0% 70.5 70.6 69.4 70.19

1% 78.1 71.5 69.4 73.07

3% 84.8 82.2 76.4 81.14

5% 85.5 83.2 80.4 83.04

Figure 6: Hardness specimens.

Figure 7: Effect of hardness Al-6063/ (CSA: SiC) hybrid composite. 60 65 70 75 80 85 Al 6063 Al 6063 + (CSA+SIC) 1% Al 6063 + (CSA+SIC) 2% AL 6063 + (CSA+SIC) 3% H ar dness( B H N ) Compositions

Hardness of Various Metal Matrix Composites

(6)

Density

The density of the fabrcated Al6063 Based Hybrid Metal Matrix Composite evaluations are possesed to the estimate the porosity of the produced hybrid composites and in order to invistigate the effect of the wt % fractions of the Cotton Shell Ash (CSA) - Silicon Carbide (SIC) of densities of the fabricated hybrid metal matrix composites. This was obtained by differentiate of the experimental results to the theoretical results of densities of each

composition of hybrid composite specimens proportion weight % Cotton Shell Ash (CSA)-Silicon Carbide (SIC) reinforced hybrid metal matrix composites by using standard procedures. The experimental density (𝞺EXT) were estimated by dividing the measured weight of hybrid metal matrix composite specimen by its measured volume. The theoretical density (𝞺T) was obtained by using method of rule of mixtures.

Figure 8: Density tester. The % of porosity was evaluated by using those relations: % Porosity 100

Figure 9: Density specimen.

Table 7: Density of Al-6063/ (CSA: SIC) hybridcomposite. Sr. No. Samples Description Theoretical

Density(g/cc) Measured Density(g/cc) % Porosity 1 Al 6063 2.72 2.69 1.10 2 Al 6063 + [CSA+SIC] (1%) 2.61 2.58 1.14 3 Al 6063 + [CSA+SIC] (3%) 2.52 2.482 1.5 4 Al 6063 + [CSA+SIC] (5%) 2.5 2.470 1.2

(7)

Compression

Mechanical properties of Al6063 hybrid composite like compression test trails was determines on the universal testing machine is fully loaded with all standards. The sample specimens are fabricated by compression test in the cylindrical type of samples in the dimensions of 13 mm diameter and 26 mm length was developed from the machining with the help of lathe machine. The sample specimens such as

compression piece axis is similar to the height of the specimen orientation. Compression tests was administrated to 50% of engineering strains. The distortion samples for metallographic analysis was evaluated by using computerized inverted metallurgical microscope. In that each composition specimens is prepared by three samples, the test was organized by three trails by three specimens. The average of those three trails is taken as the ultimate load.

Figure 11: Universal testing machine.

(A) (B) (C) (D)

Figure 12: Compression Specimens: (A) Pure, (B) 1%, (C) 3%, (D) 5% reinforement

compositions. 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Al 6063 Al 6063 + (CSA+SIC) 1% Al 6063 + (CSA+SIC) 3% AL 6063 + (CSA+SIC) 5% D ensity Compositions

Density Vs Various

Composites

D…

(8)

Table 8: Metal matrix composition v/s. ultimate compression strength (MPA).

Sr. No. Composition Ultimate Compression Strength (MPA)

1 Al 6063 480.15

2 Al 6063 + [CSA + SiC] (1%) 489.781

3 Al 6063 + [CSA + SiC] (3%) 491.87

4 Al 6063 + [CSA + SiC] (5%) 502.814

Figure 13: Ultimate compression strength graph of Al 6063/ (CSA: SiC) hybrid composite.

Micro Structure

When a smoothly polished flat specimens are evaluate the traces of its microstructure, it is normal to capture the images by utilizing microphotography. The most knowledgeable microstructure analysis involves expensively high powered consumption equipment’s.

There are two categories in optical microscopes. Those are generally utilized to estimate the flat-plane, smoothly polished and etched samples. A

computerized inverted metallurgical microscope and a metallurgical Trinocular microscope recording the image is obtained by using a digital micro camera working through the different eyepieces. A computerized inverted metallurgical Trinocular microscope with all accessories for analysis the microstructure captured images was evaluate the surface microstructure of the hybrid metal matrix composites. The microstructure of various hybrid metal matrix composites are as shown in Fig.

Figure 14: Computerized inverted metallurgical microscope. 465 470 475 480 485 490 495 500 505 Al 6063 Al 6063 + (CSA+SIC) 1% Al 6063 + (CSA+SIC) 3% AL 6063 + (CSA+SIC) 5% Ulti mate S tre ng th Compositions

ULTIMATE STRENGTH VS VARIOUS METAL MATRIX COMPOSITES

(9)

Figure 16: Micro structure of Al-6063. Figure 17: Micro Structure of [CSA+SiC] (1%).

Figure 18: Micro structure of [CSA+SiC] (3%). Figure 19: Micro structure of [CSA+SiC] (5%). CONCLUSIONS

Investigating the effect of Cotton Shell Ash (CSA)-Silicon Carbide (SiC) weight percentage on the mechanical and metallurgical behaviour of aluminium alloy based hybrid metal matrix composite containing with numerous fractions of 0 wt%, 1 wt%, 3 wt%, and 5 wt% are examined to find the mechanical and metallurgical properties such as Hardness,

density, compression and microstructure of metal matrix hybrid composites.

We can conclude that by reinforcing with cotton shell ash (CSA) and silicon carbide (SiC). We have the following results:-  Cotton shells are easily available from

the naturally formed crop fields. Exhibit initiative potential as an attractive procure the lower-cost-high performance of AlMMHCs.000

(10)

hybrid composite improves step by step with increasing reinforcement % when differentiate to matrix base material Al6063 alloy.

 The densities of the hybrid composite are gradually reduced for all 1 wt%, 3 wt% and 5wt% reinforcements as cotton shell ash (CSA)-silicon carbide (SiC) increases while there is significantly lite changes in the level of porosity.

 The compression strength of the hybrid composite moderately improves for all 1 wt%, 3 wt% and 5wt% reinforcements as cotton shell ash (CSA)-silicon carbide (SiC) increases while increasing the compression strength.

 Observations from microstructure: Uniform mixing of 1% reinforcement, 3 % reinforcement and 5% reinforcement are observed n fabricated hybrid composite.

REFERENCES

1. A Shanmuga Sundaram, Sanjivi Arul, R Sellamuthu (2018), ―Investigating the effect of WC on the hardness and wear behavior of surface modified AA 6063‖, Materials Today: Proceedings, Volume 5, pp. 6579–6587.

2. B Praveen Kumar, Anil Kumar Birru (2017), ―Microstructure and mechanical properties of aluminum metal matrix composites with addition of bamboo leaf ash by stir casting method‖, Trans. Nonferrous Met. Soc., China, Volume 27, pp. 2555−2572. 3. Babu Rao J, Venkata Rao D,

Narasimha Murthy I, Bhargava Nrmr (2011), ―Mechanical properties and corrosion behavior of fly ash particles reinforced AA 2024 composites‖,

International Journal of Composite Materials, Volume 46, Issue 12, pp.

1393−1404. (ISSN: 0021-9983). 4. David Raja Selvam J, Robinson Smart,

DS Dinaharan I (2013), ―Synthesis and

characterization of Al6061-Fly Ashp-SiCp composites by stir casting and compocasting methods‖, Energy Procedia, Volume 34, pp. 637−646.

5. Davies Oladayo Folorunso a, Seun Samuel Owoeye (2017), ―Influence of quarry dust-silicon carbide weight percentage on the mechanical properties and tribological behavior of stir cast ZA-27 alloy based hybrid composites‖, Journal of King Saud

University – Engineering Sciences.

6. Enzhao Wang, Tong Gao, JinfengNie, Xiangfa Liu (2014), ―Grain refinement limit and mechanical properties of 6063 alloy inoculated by Al–Ti–C (B) master alloys‖, Journal of Alloys and

Compounds, Volume 594, pp. 7–11.

7. Hafeez Ahamed, V. Senthil Kumar (2012), ―Hot deformation behavior of

mechanically alloyed

Al6063/0.75Al2O3/0.75Y2O3 nano-composite—A study using constitutive modeling and processing map‖,

Materials Science and Engineering,

Volume 539, pp. 349–359.

8. Kenneth Kanayo Alaneme, Kazeem Oladiti Sanusi (2015), ―Microstructural characteristics, mechanical and wear behavior of aluminum matrix hybrid composites reinforced with alumina, rice husk ash and graphite‖,

Engineering Science and Technology, an International Journal, Volume 18,

pp. 416−422.

9. K Vijaya Bhaskar, S Sundarrajan, B Subba Rao, K Ravindra (2018), ―Effect of reinforcement and wear parameters on dry sliding wear of aluminum composites-A Review‖, Materials Today: Proceedings, Volume 5, pp.

5891–5900.

10. K Soorya Prakash, A Kanagaraj, PM Gopal (2015), ―Dry sliding wear characterization of Al 6061/rock dust composite‖, Trans. Nonferrous Met.

Soc., China, Volume 25, pp. 3893−3903.

(11)

Ch Kishore (2019), “Mechanical properties and triobological behavior of stir cast Al-6063 alloy based hybrid composite”, Journal of Advancements

in Material Engineering, Volume 4,

/article/view/3856.

12. Pamarthi Harish, Veeranki Mohan Srikanth, K Ch Kishore Kumar, P

Ravindra Babu (2019),

“Characterization of Stir Cast Al-6063

Alloy Based Hybrid Composite Reinforced With Quarry Dust, Fly Ash and SIC”, Journal of Mechanical and

Mechanics Engineering, Volume 5,

E/article/view/3855

13. Pamarthi Harish, Veeranki Mohan Srikanth, P.Ravindra Babu, MR Ch. Sastry (May 2019), ―Investigating the

Influence of Cotton Shell Ash- SIC Weight Percentage on the Mechanical behaviour of aluminium alloy based Hybrid Composite‖, International Journal for Research in Applied Science & Engineering Technology,

Volume 7, Issue

V,http://ijraset.com/fileserve.php?FID =22442.

14. Pamarthi Harish, Veeranki Mohan Srikanth, P Ravindra Babu, MR Ch. Sastry, K Ch Kishore Kumar (2019), ―Characterization of mechanical and tribological properties of aluminium alloy based hybrid composites reinforced with cotton shell ash and silicon carbide‖, International Journal

of Latest Engineering Science (IJLES),

Volume 2, Issue 4,

http://www.ijlesjournal.org/2019/volu me-2%20issue-4/ijles-v2i4p101.