Effect of Zircon on Aluminum/Graphite Alloy Hybrid Composite and Wear Characterization with Load: Experimental and ANN Test

Abstract

This study examines the influence of zircon and graphite reinforcement on the mechanical and tribological characteristics of LM13 aluminum alloy-based hybrid composites produced via the stir casting method. Copper chills were utilized to attain unidirectional solidification, guaranteeing enhanced microstructural homogeneity. The composites were formulated with zircon concentrations of 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 wt%, in conjunction with a constant 3 wt% of graphite, then warmed to eliminate moisture and guarantee uniform dispersion. The tensile strength, hardness, and wear characteristics were assessed for both chill-end and non-chill-end specimens. Experimental findings indicate that tensile strength and hardness enhance with rising zircon concentration, reaching a maximum at 9 wt% and there after decreasing at 12 wt% due to zircon segregation at grain boundaries, as corroborated by microstructural analysis. Wear investigations utilizing a pin-on-disc apparatus demonstrated that the wear rate diminishes with rising zircon content up to 9 wt%, yielding the minimal wear rate, followed by an increase at 12 wt%. This behavior is ascribed to consistent reinforcement distribution at 9 wt% and reinforcement clustering at 12 wt%. Copper chill-end specimens had enhanced mechanical and wear qualities relative to non-chill-end specimens, highlighting the significance of chills in improving material performance. Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) were utilized to model and forecast wear behavior. The ANN predictions demonstrated a strong connection with experimental data.

Keywords Artificial neural network, Pin-on-disc, Stir casting, Wear resistance