An innovative approach combination of powder metallurgy and accumulative press bonding to fabricate Al/ graphite nanocomposites and investigate the tribological and wear properties

Abstract

In this study, Al/Gr Nanocomposites (NC) were fabricated using an innovative approach that is a combination of powder metallurgy (PM) and accumulative press bonding (APB). By this combination method, many of defects are removed from the composite matrix which improves the mechanical properties. The APB process is a unique technique that made it possible to create NCs with distinct properties. In simpler terms, this process involves compressing a series of overlapping bulky samples that achieves a specific reduction ratio, such as 50 %. It is worth noting that extensive research has been done to understand the properties of Al/Gr-NCs comprehensively. By increasing the Gr value up to 10 %, hardness and friction coefficient dropped and wear rate increased by 23 %, 214 % and 37 %, respectively. Focusing on the analysis of microstructural, and tribological properties (TP), with special emphasis on the effect of Gr content as an additive component. In addition, the use of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) has facilitated the study of the surface and microstructure of tribo–NC. The result of this study revealed desirable behaviors. It was observed that with the increase of Gr content, the hardness and friction coefficient (FC) of the NC samples decreased, while the density and WR rate of the samples increased. These results indicate the importance of Gr addition in adjusting the MP and TP of NCs. Finally, the combination of PM and the APB process offers a promising way to fabricate nanoparticle (NP)-reinforced materials with desirable MP. © 2024 Elsevier B.V.