Title: Micro hardness and corrosion properties of A390 alloy + x vol.% zirconium dioxide (ZrO₂) composites processed by P/M method

Authors: S. Karthikeyan; M. Subramanian; Ashoke Ghosh; M. Prashanth; R. Karunanithi

Addresses: Department of Automobile Engineering, B.S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, 600048, India ' Department of Automobile Engineering, B.S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, 600048, India ' Department of Aerospace Engineering, B.S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, 600048, India ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, B.S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, 600048, India ' Department of Aerospace Engineering, B.S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, 600048, India

Abstract: A390+X vol.% ZrO₂ (X = 5, 10, 15) composites have been fabricated through P/M technique. The mixed aluminium alloy and zirconium oxide powders were cold compacted at 200 MPa and sintered at 580°C for 3 h. The influence of ZrO₂ reinforcement on microstructure, physical, and electrochemical behaviour of fabricated composites were examined. The results convey that the composites have relative density of 99%. Potentio dynamic polarisation studies on A390 and A390+Xvol.% ZrO₂ composites in 3.5 wt.% of NaCl solution revealed that the addition of ZrO₂ in Al alloy shifts the corrosion potentials towards positive direction. The increase of ZrO₂ content in A390 alloy increases the corrosion current density due to the expansion in particle-matrix interface area. The research goal is to develop a new metal matrix composite material, by powder metallurgy (P/M) technique and experimentally investigate the various mechanical, physical properties and corrosion study, for ensuring that the developed material could be used in pistons.

Keywords: A390 alloy; zirconium dioxide; corrosion; powder metallurgy techniques; composites; piston material; micro structural analysis; SEM; scanning electron microscopy; XRD; X-ray diffraction; surface properties.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMMP.2019.103174

International Journal of Microstructure and Materials Properties, 2019 Vol.14 No.6, pp.511 - 523

Received: 05 Jan 2019
Accepted: 22 May 2019
Published online: 21 Oct 2019 *

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