Development of Aluminium Based Silicon Carbide Particulate Metal Matrix Composite for Spur Gear

摘要

MMCs are made by dispersing a reinforcing material into a metal matrix. They are prepared by powder metallurgy and casting, although several technical challenges exist with casting technology. Achieving a homogeneous distribution of reinforcement within the matrix is one such challenge, and this affects directly on the properties and quality of composite. The aluminum alloy composite materials consist of high strength, high stiffness, more thermal stability, more corrosion and wear resistance, and more fatigue life, aluminum alloy materials found to be the best alternative with its unique capacity of designing the materials to give required properties. In this work a composite is developed by adding silicon carbide in Aluminum metal by mass ratio 2.5%, 5%, 7.5% and 10%. The composite is prepared by stir casting technique. Mechanical tests such as hardness test, microstructure test are conducted. It is proposed to use this material for power transmitting elements such as gears which are subjected to continuous loading. Finally modeling and finite element analysis of gear is done using CATIA and ANSYS 14.0. In case of increased silicon carbide content, the hardness, and material toughness are enhanced. From the results it is concluded that composite material such as aluminum silicon carbide is one of the option as a material for power transmission gears.