Influence of Dual Range Particle Size on Wear and Friction Properties of Ilmenite Reinforced Aluminium Metal Matrix Composite

The present work has been taken to develop aluminum matrix composites (AMCs) for break drum application. Currently, cast iron is used to fabricate brake drums in various automobile industries. In this study, the composite was developed using Al-Si alloy (LM30) as a matrix and ilmenite mineral as a reinforcement. The stir casting process was used to synthesize the composites with ilmenite reinforced particles having two different particle sizes (fine: coarse; F-32-50 mu m, C-75-106 mu m). The particle distribution, hardness, wear, and load-structural relationships have been studied for all the developed composites. The best wear resistance was observed for 15 wt% ilmenite reinforced (4:1; fine: coarse ratio) composite. This has shown an improvement in wear resistance up to 57%, whereas the coefficient of friction was considerably reduced up to 47% compared to LM30 (Al-Si alloy) sample. To check the industrial sustainability of the prepared samples, the wear analysis of the composites was also compared with the gray cast iron. For the brake drum application, aluminium metal matrix composites showed - 6% more wear loss than that of cast iron. The wear track/debris micrographs indicated that the abrasive wear mechanism was prevalent. A significant plastic deformation with increased contact pressure of 1.4 MPa is observed. This has led to generation of micro cracks followed by material removal with increased pressure.