Processing and wear behavior optimization of B4C and rice husk ash dual particles reinforced ADC12 alloy composites using Taguchi method

The composite material comprises either two or more constituents having dissimilar physical and chemical properties. The composite is prepared by various techniques, but the stir casting method has been widely used, as it is simple and cost-effective. In the present work, the composites from ADC12 Aluminum Alloy-Boron Carbide (B₄C) (wt.5%) and varied wt % of Rice Husk Ash (RHA) were developed with the help of the stir cast technique. Composite having 3, 6, 9 wt.% of RHA were considered for the wear analysis. The wear analysis of hybrid composites was studied with the help of Taguchi method and also optimum values were determined. The tribological study was conducted on the Pin on disk testing apparatus under dry sliding conditions. The L27 orthogonal array has been preferred in the present work to include three factors and three levels. The selected factors are Speed (N), Load (W), RHA, and wear depth as system output (yield). Analysis of variance has been carried out to know the parameters' influence and level of contribution to the wear loss. For, the validation of the analysis results the experimental test was carried out for the optimum values. To understand the wear mechanism in composites the samples were analyzed using Scanning Electron Microscopic (SEM) and it has been observed that both abrasive, as well as adhesive wear, did occur on the contact surface of the specimens.