Dry sliding wear characterization of red mud reinforced aluminium composite

Abstract

This paper reports the wear performance of the developed Al2024/red mud MMC under dry conditions using a pin-on-disc wear setup. The effect of process parameters such as reinforcement, applied load, sliding velocity, and sliding distance on the wear performance of composite was studied. Two-step stir casting process was employed to fabricate the MMC in the presence of argon gas. Response surface methodology was employed to study the influence of input parameters on the wear rate of the composite. Mathematical model was developed to predict the wear rate of the composite. It was observed from the results that sliding velocity was found to be the most dominant factor that affected the wear behaviour of the MMC followed by applied load and reinforcement content. Worn surface of the test pieces was analyzed by SEM and the surface morphology reveals that the wear rate reduced with the increase in reinforcement content. EDS results were evaluated to characterize the MML that forms on the worn surfaces of the test specimens.