EFFECT OF COLD QUENCHING ON WEAR RATE OF AL6061- BERYL COMPOSITES

摘要

In recent years, aluminum alloy based metal matrix composites (MMC) are gaining importance in several aerospace and automobile applications. Al6061 has been used as matrix material owing to its excellent mechanical properties coupled with good formability and its wide applications in industrial sector. From literature survey it has been observed that hardness and tensile strength of Aluminum alloy-beryl composites increased significantly with increasing beryl content. The cast matrix alloy and its composites have been subjected to solutionizing treatment at a temperature of 5300C for 18hr. followed by quenching in ice. Heat treatment has profound effect on both hardness and tensile strength of Al6061-beryl composites, among them composite with 10% beryl shows maximum. Accordingly, the aims of the present study are (i) study the effect quenching media and (ii) sliding distance on the wear properties of these composites in both as cast and heat treated conditions. It was observed that the quenching has significant effect on tensile, hardness and wear behavior, exhibiting enhancement as compared to as cast composites.