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Journal of Polymer & Composites Original Research Special issue

Enhancement of Mechanical and Tribological Properties of Aluminum-Titanium Carbide (Al-TiC) Metal Matrix Composites via Powder Metallurgy

  1. S. Ramesh Kumar Department of Mechanical Engineering, Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation, Vaddeswaram
  2. Kopanathi Manish Department of Mechanical Engineering, Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation, Vaddeswaram
  3. Kotthapalli Karthik Department of Mechanical Engineering, Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation, Vaddeswaram
  4. Priyaranjan Samal Department of Mechanical Engineering, Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation, Vaddeswaram

Abstract

Metal matrix composites (MMCs) have emerged as a result of the increasing need for sophisticated lightweight materials with exceptional mechanical and tribological qualities. For structural and wear-critical applications, aluminum-based composites supplemented with ceramic particles such as titanium carbide (TiC) have shown great promise. In this work, aluminum-TiC composites made by powder metallurgy a process that guarantees even particle dispersion, regulated porosity, and the creation of near-net shapes are fabricated, mechanically characterized, and their performance is assessed. Composites with different amounts of TiC (0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%) were created and put through compression, tensile, and wear testing. The research results indicate that raising the TiC reinforcement content up to an optimal level of 15% significantly enhances the tensile strength, compressive strength, and wear resistance of the material. Specifically, at 15% TiC, the compressive strength reached a maximum of 666 MPa, whereas the tensile strength increased from 99.5 MPa in pure aluminum to 155.2 MPa. Particle aggregation and increasing brittleness caused the mechanical characteristics to gradually decrease above this level. Due to the high hardness and load-bearing capacity of TiC, wear tests consistently showed improvements in surface durability. According to this study, 15% TiC is the optimal composition for balanced performance and TiC reinforcement effectively improves the mechanical behavior of aluminum matrices. The created composites can be used in manufacturing, automotive, and aerospace applications where a high strength-to-weight ratio, resistance to wear, and thermal stability are critical. High-performance MMCs may be produced economically and successfully using the powder metallurgy technique.

Keywords

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