The Effect of ECAP on Structural Morphology and Wear Behaviour of 5083 Al Composite Reinforced with Red Mud

Abstract

We reinforced aluminium matrix composites with three different amounts of red mud. These red mud reinforcements were manufactured using stir casting and then subjected to ECAP for evaluating the structural and wear behaviour. The formation of submicron size grains significantly enhanced the hardness, which in turn significantly lowered the loss of wear for ECAPed composites. A reduction in the wear rate was noticed with the rise in the percentage of RM reinforcement. Before ECAP, the least wear impact noted was in the composite that had 10 weight percent reinforcement. After ECAP, the least wear rate was found in the composite that had 15 weight percent reinforcement. The wear rate might have been minimized because of the elimination of the oxide layers after ECAP. At higher loads, the frictional thrust increases, consequently increasing the de-bonding and detaching of the material. Therefore, a rise in normal load raised the wear rate.