Tribology and Materials | Volume 4 | Issue 3 | 2025 | 134-143
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https://doi.org/10.46793/tribomat.2025.016
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Influence of cooling mediums on mechanical and tribological characteristics of Al/Cu-based composites reinforced with chromium particles
Parshant Kumar
1,
Vijay Kumar Srivastava2,
Ambuj Sharma3
1 Dr. Vishwanath Karad MIT World Peace University, Pune, India
2 Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) Varanasi, India
3 School of Mechanical Engineering, VIT-AP University, Amaravati, India
Abstract: The intensity of radial heat flux during quenching
affects the microstructural features of materials. The interface
strength is also affected by the radial heat flux in the case of metal
matrix composites (MMCs). Thus, the mechanical and tribological
behaviour of MMCs may vary with the quenching medium. The present
investigation deals with the effect of the quenching medium on the
mechanical and tribological behaviour of chromium (Cr) particles
reinforced Al/Cu dual matrix composites. Normal load (viz. 20, 40 and 60
N) and weight percentage of Cr reinforcement (viz. 1, 2, 3, 5, 8 and 10
wt. %) were also varied. The powder metallurgy route was followed for
the fabrication of composites. The sintered composites were normalised
and quenched in oil and water. The results revealed that water-quenched
composites exhibited the highest hardness and compressive strength and
the lowest wear. The highest compressive strength was approximately 48
MPa for 3 wt. % Cr reinforced water-quenched composites. The coefficient
of friction decreased with an increase in Cr content, whereas it was
very difficult to generalise the wear behaviour with respect to Cr
content. The fractured and worn surfaces were analysed under a scanning
electron microscope to know the fracture characteristics and dominant
wear mechanisms, respectively.
Keywords: composites, strength, hardness, friction, wear.
Received: 21-11-2024, Revised: 13-04-2025, Accepted: 24-05-2025
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which allows users to distribute, remix, adapt,
and build upon the material in any medium or format for non-commercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.
2 Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) Varanasi, India
3 School of Mechanical Engineering, VIT-AP University, Amaravati, India
Abstract: The intensity of radial heat flux during quenching affects the microstructural features of materials. The interface strength is also affected by the radial heat flux in the case of metal matrix composites (MMCs). Thus, the mechanical and tribological behaviour of MMCs may vary with the quenching medium. The present investigation deals with the effect of the quenching medium on the mechanical and tribological behaviour of chromium (Cr) particles reinforced Al/Cu dual matrix composites. Normal load (viz. 20, 40 and 60 N) and weight percentage of Cr reinforcement (viz. 1, 2, 3, 5, 8 and 10 wt. %) were also varied. The powder metallurgy route was followed for the fabrication of composites. The sintered composites were normalised and quenched in oil and water. The results revealed that water-quenched composites exhibited the highest hardness and compressive strength and the lowest wear. The highest compressive strength was approximately 48 MPa for 3 wt. % Cr reinforced water-quenched composites. The coefficient of friction decreased with an increase in Cr content, whereas it was very difficult to generalise the wear behaviour with respect to Cr content. The fractured and worn surfaces were analysed under a scanning electron microscope to know the fracture characteristics and dominant wear mechanisms, respectively.
Keywords: composites, strength, hardness, friction, wear.
Received: 21-11-2024, Revised: 13-04-2025, Accepted: 24-05-2025
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which allows users to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for non-commercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.