Taguchi Technique for the Simultaneous Optimization of Tribological Parameters in Metal Matrix Composite

摘要

Taguchi methods have proved to be successful over the last two decades for improvement of product quality and process performance. This study is carried out to simultaneously optimize the tribological properties: wear rate and frictional force of aluminum metal matrix composite. Al-Cu-Mg alloy reinforced with 6 Wt % of titanium dioxide was prepared using stir casting method. Dry sliding wear test was conducted to understand the tribological behavior of samples. The experiments were conducted as per the Taguchi design of experiment. The wear parameters chosen for the experiment were: sliding speed and load and sliding distance. Each parameter was assigned three levels. The experiment consists of 27 tests according to L27 orthogonal array. Signal to noise ratio analysis has been carried out to determine optimal parametric condition, which yields minimum wear rate and frictional force. Harrington’s desirability functional method is adopted for multifunctional optimization of tribological parameters and the confirmation experiments were conducted to verify the predicted model.