Effect of Aging Treatment on Friction Stir Processed Al-ZrO2-Graphene Nanoplatelet Surface Composite

• Published in: Journal of materials engineering and performance 2024-12, Vol.33 (24), p.14071-14084
• Main Authors: Avadi Ammal, M., Sudha, Jayaprakasam, Vaishnavi, R., Vaishnavi, S. H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry and Materials Science; Corrosion and Coatings; Engineering Design; Materials Science; Original Research Article; Quality Control; Reliability; Safety and Risk; Tribology
• ISSN: 1059-9495; 1544-1024
• DOI: 10.1007/s11665-023-08993-0

An AA6061 alloy plate surface was reinforced with zirconia (ZrO 2 ) nanoparticles and graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) by friction stir processing (FSP) to produce a surface nanocomposite. The processing was carried out under optimum FSP parametric conditions to ensure the uniform distribution of the reinforced particles. The processed samples were subjected to solution treatment and then subsequently artificially aged at different temperatures (160, 180, 200, and 220 °C). Microstructural and mechanical investigations were carried out for the FSPed AA6061 surface nanocomposite sample and the samples aged at different temperatures after FSP. The sample aged at 200 °C shows a peak hardness of 82.6 HV, which is 27.3% higher than non-heat treated sample. A maximum tensile strength of 207.3 MPa along with 75% wear resistance improvement has been attained with a sample aged at 200 °C. Samples aged at 220 °C show relatively coarser grains (31.46 µm) which indicates over aging. Graphical Abstract