EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION ON MECHANICAL

PROPERTIES, WEAR CHARACTERISTICS AND

MICRO-STRUCTURE OF A356- B4C-MoS2 COMPOSITE

A PROJECT REPORT
Submitted by

ABHILASH V S
TCR17MEPE01

to
the APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the Degree
of

Master of Technology
In
PRODUCTION ENGINEERING

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Government Engineering College, Trichur, Thrissur
MAY 2019
 DECLARATION

I undersigned hereby declare that the project report “EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION

ON MECHANICAL PROPERTIES, WEAR CHARACTERISTICS AND MICRO
STRUCTURE OF A356- B4C-MoS2 COMPOSITE”, submitted for partial fulfillment of
the requirements for the award of degree of Master of Technology of the APJ Abdul Kalam
Technological University, Kerala is a bonafide work done by me under supervision of
PROF.SAJITH C SUBRAMANIAN. This submission represents my ideas in my own words
and where ideas or words of others have been included. I have adequately and accurately cited
and referenced the original sources. I also declare that I have adhered to ethics of academic
honesty and integrity and have not misrepresented or fabricated any data or idea or fact or
source in my submission. I understand that any violation of the above will be a cause for
disciplinary action by the institute and/or the University and can also evoke penal action from
the sources which have thus not been properly cited or from whom proper permission has not
been obtained. This report has not been previously formed the basis for the award of any
degree, diploma or similar title of any other University.

THRISSUR ABHILASH V S
28-05-2019 TCR17MEPE01
 DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
GOVERNMENT ENGINEERING COLLEGE, THRISSUR

MAY 2019

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the report entitled “EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION ON

MECHANICAL PROPERTIES, WEAR CHARACTERISTICS AND MICRO
STRUCTURE OF A356- B4C-MoS2 COMPOSITE” submitted by ABHILASH V S
(TCR17MEPE01) to the APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University in partial fulfilment of
the requirements for the award of the Degree of Master of Technology in Production
Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering is a bonafide record of the project work
carried out by him under my guidance and supervision. This report in any form has not been
submitted to any other University or Institute for any purpose.

PROF. SAJITH .C.SUBRAMANIAN DR.MANESH K.K

Internal Supervisor PG Coordinator
Assistant Professor Associate Professor
Dept. of Mechanical Eng. Dept. of Mechanical Eng.
GEC, Thrissur GEC, Thrissur

Dr. V. P. MOHANDAS
Head of the Department
Professor
Dept. of Mechanical Eng.
GEC, Thrissur

Place: Thrissur
Date: 28-05-2019
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

At this pleasing moment of having successfully completed my thesis, I came across a number
of people whose contributions in various ways helped my work and they deserve special
thanks. It is a pleasure to convey my gratitude to all of them.

First and foremost, I would like to express my deep sense of gratitude and indebtedness to my
guide PROF. SAJITH C SUBRAMANIAN, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical
Engineering, and co- guided by PROF.RAHUL.K.R, Assistant Professor, Department of
Mechanical Engineering for their guidance, patience, encouragement and enthusiasm
throughout the work.

I would like to express my sincere thanks to our respected Principal Dr. SHEEBA V.S. and
DR. MOHANDAS V P, Head of the Department, Mechanical Engineering for their kind
support and permission to use the facilities available in the Institute.

I am very much thankful to my M.Tech staff advisor Dr. SUDHEESH R.S, Assistant
Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Government Engineering College, Trichur
for his advice and invaluable supervision of the thesis work.

I am deeply obliged to Mr. SREEKUMAR T. P., Mr. MANGALANAND L. K. and Mr.

SREEKANTH P., Staffs of Post Graduate laboratory, the project evaluation panel members,
and all other staffs of Department of Mechanical Engineering for their generous and timely
help.

Finally, I express my very profound gratitude to my parents and to my friends for providing
me with unfailing support and continuous encouragement throughout my years of study and
through the process of researching and writing this thesis. This accomplishment would not
have been possible without them.

Above all I would like to thank The Almighty for his infinite grace and blessings without
which project would not have reached its completion

ABHILASH V S

i
 ABSTRACT

Aluminium metal matrix composites are widely used due to low density, corrosion resistance,
mechanical properties, availability, ease of manufacturing, cost effectiveness etc. The purpose
of this thesis is to compare and experimentally investigate the micro structure, wear
characteristics, mechanical properties of aluminium A356- B4C-MoS2 composite, which have
been done by stir casting. The weight percentages of B4C are 9% by weight and MoS2 is
4%,8%,12%. A356 reinforced with boron carbide and MoS2 is used in aerospace, automotive
industry in the manufacturing of disc brakes, cylinder liners etc. Here A356-9% B4C-
MoS2(4%,8%,12%), castings are done and compared on the basis of micro structural, wear
characteristics, mechanical properties.. Composites of A356 shows an increase in wear
resistance when it compared with A356 alloy. As the MoS2 content in A356- B4C-MoS2
composite increases, wear rate decreases. Thus the further addition of MoS2 enhances the
wear resistance and hardness of the material, also the optimum range of tensile strength have
been noted at 8% addition of MoS2 with 9% of B4 C.

Key words: Aluminium matrix composite, Stir casting, Hybrid composites, Wear, Micro
structural, Mechanical properties

ii
 CONTENTS

Contents Page No.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT i

ABSTRACT ii

LIST OF FIGURES v

LIST OF TABLES vii

ABBREVIATIONS viii

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Aluminium 1

1.2 Aluminium alloys 2

1.2.1 Aluminium alloy designations 2

1.3 Aluminium matrix composite AMC 3

1.4 Boron carbide reinforced AMC 3

1.5 Molybdenum Di sulphide reinforced AMC 4

1.6 Manufacturing of composite 4

1.6.1 Stir casting 4

1.6.2 Stir casting problems 5

1.7 A356 Aluminium alloy 6

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE SURVEY 8

2.1 Previous literature 8

2.2 Research gaps 11

2.3 Problem Definition 11

2.4 Objectives 11

2.5 Methodology 11

iii
CHAPTER 3: EXPERIMENTAL METHODS 12

3.1 Materials 12

3.2 Pre Requisties for casting 14

3.2.1 Casting of the composite 16

3.3 Microstructure 17

3.4 Wear Testing 18

3.5 Tensile Test 19

3.6 Hardness Test 21

CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 23

4.1 Microstructure Analysis 23

4.2 Wear Characteristics 26

4.3 Tensile Test 27

4.4 Hardness Test 28

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS 30

5.1 Scope for future work 31

REFERENCE 32

LIST OF PUBLICATION 33

iv
 LIST OF FIGURES

Sl.No. Title Page No

1.1 Schematic of stir casting equipment 6

3.1 A356 Aluminium Alloy 12

3.2 Boron Carbide 13

3.3 Molybdenum Di Sulphide 14

3.4 A356 Alloy cutting by power hacksaw 15

3.5 A356 Alloy pieces 15

3.6 Electric Furnace 15

3.7 Stirring machine 15

3.8 Preheating furnace 16

3.9 Mild steel mould 16

3.10 Stirring of molten metal 16

3.11 Pouring of molten metal 17

3.12 Cast specimen 17

3.13 Optical Microscope with polished specimen for 18

testing
3.14 Double disc polishing machine 18

3.15 Cast specimen Pin on disc apparatus 19

3.16 Wear specimens 19

3.17 ASTM standard dimension 20

3.18 ASTM standard specimens 20

3.19 Universal Testing Machine 21

3.20 Micro hardness tester 22

3.21 Specimen placed on the micro hardness tester 22

4.1 A356 Alloy 23

v
4.2 A356-B4C(9%)-MoS2(4%) 23

4.3 A356-B4C(9%)-MoS2(8%) 24

4.4 A356-B4C(9%)-MoS2(12%) 24

4.5 Wear rate v/s Applied load graph 27

4.6 Ultimate tensile test graph 28

4.7 Vickers hardness graph 29

vi
 LIST OF TABLES

Sl.No. Title Page No

3.1 Chemical composition of A356 12

3.2 A356 alloy engineering properties 13

3.3 Chemical composition of Boron Carbide 14

3.4 Chemical composition of Molybedenum Di 14

Sulphide(MoS2)
4.1 Weight loss 26

4.2 Ultimate tensile strength 27

4.3 Vickers hardness values 28

vii
 ABBREVIATIONS

AA - Aluminium Association
AMCs - Aluminium matrix composite
ASTM - American Society For Testing and Materials
B4C - Boron Carbide
MoS2 - Molybdenum Disulphide
UTS - Ultimate Tensile Strength
UTM - Universal Testing Machine

viii
 CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

Modern technologies need materials having unusual combination of properties like increased
strength, stiffness, wear and impact resistance along with lower densities. This cannot be met
by conventional materials but only by composite materials.

A composite can be defined as a multiphase material that is artificially made with chemically
dissimilar constituent phases which are separated by a distinct interface. Many composite
materials consist of only two phases. One of these is called the matrix phase, which is present
in larger amounts, is continuous and surrounds the other one is called as dispersed phase or
reinforcing phase. The factors which determine the properties of composites are the properties
of constituent phases, their relative amounts and geometry of the dispersed phase.

1.1 ALUMINIUM
Aluminium occupies third place among commercially used engineering materials.
Characteristics features of aluminium are its low density, low melting point and high
electrical and thermal conductivity. It has low strength and hardness, but high ductility and
malleability. On exposure to the atmosphere, aluminium forms a strong film of aluminium on
its surface, which prevents further oxidation and corrosion. The application of aluminium as a
structural material is limited by its low strength. It is employed for lightly loaded structures
and for electrical cables and similar items. Aluminium has good machinability, formability,
workability and castability. It is non-magnetic, non- toxic, easily available and less expensive.
Low strength and hardness are the main drawbacks of aluminium.

Aluminium alloys are alloys in which aluminium (Al) is the predominant metal. The typical
alloying elements are copper, magnesium, manganese, silicon, tin and zinc. Some of the main
benefits are High thermal conductivity, light weight and strong (excellent for aerospace,
automotive and other mobile applications) precision surface treatment, cost effective
production etc. Aluminium has about one-third the density and stiffness of steel. The chief ore
of aluminium is bauxite. Aluminium is remarkable for its low density 2.70 g/cm3 and
its ability to resist corrosion.

1
1.2 ALUMINIUM ALLOYS
In aluminium alloys other elements are deliberately added to improve the properties in some
way. Many alloys have been developed, the aim being to improve the strength while retaining
the desirable properties of aluminium, most notably its lightness and corrosion resistance. In
general though, while the addition of an alloying element increases the strength, it reduces the
resistance to corrosion, making a compromise of the properties necessary.

1.2.1 Aluminium alloy designations

The International Alloy Designation System is the most widely accepted naming scheme
for wrought alloys. Each alloy is given a four-digit number, where the first digit indicates the
major alloying elements, the second — if different from 0 — indicates a variation of the alloy,
and the third and fourth digits identify the specific alloy in the series

 1xxx - Pure aluminium

 2xxx - Aluminium – Copper alloys
 3xxx - Aluminium – Manganese alloy
 4xxx - Aluminium-Silicon alloy
 5xxx - Aluminium-Magnesium alloys
 6xxx - Aluminium-Magnesium-Silicon alloys (6xxx)
 7xxx - Aluminium-Zinc alloys (7xxx)
 8xxx – Aluminium with other alloying elements not included in the above like
Aluminium – Lithium alloys etc.

The Aluminum Association (AA) has adopted a nomenclature similar to that of wrought
alloys. In the AA system, the second two digits reveal the minimum percentage of aluminium.
The digit after the decimal point takes a value of 0 or 1, denoting casting and ingot
respectively.

 1xx.x series are minimum 99% aluminium

 2xx.x series copper
 3xx.x series silicon, copper and/or magnesium
 4xx.x series silicon
 5xx.x series magnesium
 7xx.x series zinc
 8xx.x series lithium

2
1.3 ALUMINIUM MATRIX COMPOSITES (AMC’s)
Aluminium matrix composites (AMCs) are potential materials for various applications due to
their good physical and mechanical properties. The addition of reinforcements into the
metallic matrix improves the stiffness, specific strength, wear, creep and fatigue properties
compared to the conventional engineering materials. Aluminium MMCs are widely used in
aircraft, aerospace, automobiles and various other fields. The reinforcements should be stable
in the given working temperature and non-reactive too. The most commonly used
reinforcements are Silicon Carbide (SiC) and Aluminium Oxide (Al₂O₃). SiC reinforcement
increases the tensile strength, hardness, density and wear resistance of Al and its alloys. The
particle distribution plays a very vital role in the properties of the AMC and is improved by
intensive shearing. Al₂O₃ reinforcement has good compressive strength and wear resistance.
Boron Carbide is one of hardest known elements. It has high elastic modulus and fracture
toughness. The addition of Boron Carbide (B4C) in Al matrix increases the hardness, but does
not improve the wear resistance significantly.

In a composite material, the matrix material serves the following functions

 Protects the reinforcing phase from environment.

 Holds the reinforcing phase and shares a load with it.
 Distributes the load evenly between the reinforcing phase so that all the reinforcing
particles are subjected to same amount of strain.

The reinforcement material is embedded into the matrix. The reinforcement does not always
serve a purely structural task (reinforcing the compound), but is also used to change physical
properties such as wear resistance, friction coefficient, or thermal conductivity. Usually
stronger than the matrix, therefore it is called as reinforcing phase. The role of the
reinforcement in a composite material is fundamentally to increase the mechanical properties.

1.4 BORON CARBIDE REINFORCED AMC

Aluminium matrix composite is reinforced with born carbide (Al-B4C) and the most
important property of aluminium-boron carbide with reference to the aerospace industry,
automotive industry due to its strength to weight ratio, which is three times more than mild
steel. Grains of boron carbide can be bonded together by sintering to form very hard ceramics
which are widely used in applications requiring high endurance, such as car brakes, car
clutches and ceramic plates in bulletproof vests. In addition B4C is an attractive reinforcing

3
material for aluminium and its alloys because of high melting point (2450 ◦C), high stiffness
(445 GPa), thermal stability, high hardness (3700 HV), great resistance to chemical agents at
room temperature, high neutron absorption tendency and low density (2.51 g/cm3). The
mechanical and machinability properties of B4C particle reinforced Al MMC with the
increase in reinforcement ratio, tensile strength, hardness and density of Al MMC material
increased, but impact toughness decreased.

1.5 MOLYBDENUM DISULPHIDE REINFORCED AMC

MoS2 was selected as a composite material mainly used in mating gears and bearings which
are subjected to wear. Molybdenum Disulphide (MoS2) is selected as a reinforcement material
because of it’s chemical stability, low friction coefficient does not rely on absorbed vapours
and moisture.

1.6 MANUFACTURING OF COMPOSITE

The selection of the processing route depends on many factors including type and level of
reinforcement loading and the degree of micro structural integrity desired. Fabrication of the
composite materials is focused on obtaining materials with improved properties compared to
the matrix material. A key challenge in the processing of composites is to homogeneously
distribute the reinforcement phases to achieve a defect-free microstructure. For this reason stir
casting method is selected to manufacture the composites because it provides a uniform
distribution of particles.

1.6.1 Stir Casting

Stir casting is currently the most popular commercial method of producing aluminium based
composites. Stir casting of MMCs was initiated in 1968, when S. Ray introduced alumina
particles into aluminium melt by stirring molten aluminium alloys containing the ceramic
powders. Fabrication of aluminium and it’s alloys based casting composite materials via stir
casting is one of the prominent and economical technique for development and processing of
MMC’s and widely used for applications that require high production volumes and low cost.

Stir casting is suitable for manufacturing composites with up to 30% volume fractions of
reinforcement; allows for the use of conventional metal processing methods with the addition
of an appropriate stirring system such as mechanical stirring; ultrasonic or electromagnetic
stirring; or centrifugal force stirring. To achieve proper mixing of reinforcement into melt
which depends on material properties and process parameters such as the wetting condition of

4
the particles with the melt, strength of mixing, relative density, and rate of solidification. The
distribution of the particles in the molten matrix depends on the geometry of the mechanical
stirrer, stirring parameters, placement of the mechanical stirrer in the melt, melting
temperature, and the characteristics of the particles added and finally the liquid composite
material is then cast by conventional casting methods and may also be processed by
conventional Metal forming technologies. The simplest and the most cost effective method of
liquid state fabrication is Stir Casting (Zhou and Xu, 1999). The following features are the
characteristics of stir casting.

 Dispersed phase content is limited (usually not more than 30 vol.% )

 Presence of local clouds (clusters) of the dispersed particles
 The distribution of dispersed phase is not perfectly homogeneous throughout the
matrix For this reason we have selected stir casting to manufacture the composite.

1.6.2 Stir casting problems

There are several factors to be considered while preparing the metal matrix composites by stir
casting. They are

• Uniform distribution of reinforcement material is difficult to achieve.

• The poor wettability between the two matrix and reinforcements.

• Chemical reaction between reinforcement maternal and matrix alloy

5
 Figure 1.1 Schematic of stir casting equipment

By giving heat treatment to the reinforcement particles before dispersion into melt can be
improved the wettability of reinforcement particles within the molten matrix alloy and the
adsorbed gases can be removed from the particle surface. The resulting microstructure has
been found to be more uniform than that processed with conventional stirring. Another
problem is if the reinforcement particles are distributed uniformly in molten matrix, they tend
to sink or float to the molten melt due to the density differences between the reinforcement
particles and the matrix alloy melt. If the dispersion of reinforcement particles is not uniform
then they have high tendency to agglomeration and clustering.

1.7 A356 ALUMINIUM ALLOY

A356 aluminium alloy is a casting alloy consisting of aluminium, silicon and magnesium and
it has high corrosion resistance, good in mechanical characteristics, high ductility, as well as
excellent casting characteristics. The alloy has been widely applied in aircraft, machinery,
automotive industries to replace steel components. It is possible to infiltrate different
reinforcing materials such as SiC, Al₂O etc in metal matrix (aluminium alloys), Boron carbide
and some other solid lubricant have been also used to improve the tribological characteristics
of base alloy. By applying suitable combination of process parameters it is possible to receive

6
good distribution of reinforcing materials in composite matrix and thus affect mechanical
properties of the composite.

In this project the matrix is A356(aluminium alloy) and reinforcing materials as Boron
carbide of average particle size 70 microns and MoS2 of 30 microns. The Boron carbide
particle is provided by Sun WIRE Limited, New Delhi and MoS2 powder was purchased from
purchased from Chemical Sales Corporation Limited, New delhi.. Economically the
preferable method to make composite is the stir casting method (Vinoth babu and moorthy et.
Al, 2014) even though it has some drawbacks such as formation of casting defects like
porosity, non-uniform distribution of reinforcing particles, shrinkage etc(Tee et.al).

The aim of this work is to make an experimental investigation and comparison of wear
characteristics, micro structural and mechanical properties (hardness and tensile strength) of
A356-B4C-MoS2 composite.

7
 CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE SURVEY

2.1 PREVIOUS LITERATURE

Many of the researchers have very much interested in studies related to composites. Some of
them are interested in mechanical properties, wear characteristics machining characteristics
and many others have their studies according to analyze and determine the best possible ways
for making matrix composites. Also there are several others who are interested in the
parameters affecting the fabrication processes. Following are some previous literatures related
with A356- B4C -MoS2 composite

K.Shirvanimoghaddam et.al (2016) : Boron carbide reinforced aluminium matrix

composite: Physical, mechanical characterization - This paper investigates the manufacturing
of aluminium-boron carbide composites using the stir casting method. Here increasing the
volume fraction of B4C enhances the UTS and hardness of the composite a positive impact on
the mechanical properties of samples. Mechanical properties are increased with increasing
processing temperature. Shorter stirring times cause the non-uniform dispersion and higher
stirring time cause agglomeration

The results show that hardness and tensile strength of aluminium based composite are higher
than monolithic metal. Increasing the volume fraction of B4C, enhances the tensile strength
and hardness of the composite; however over- loading of B4C caused particle agglomeration,
rejection from molten metal and migration to slag. This phenomenon decreases the tensile
strength and hardness of the aluminium based composite samples cast at 800°C. For Al-
15vol. % B4C samples, the ultimate tensile strength and Vickers hardness of the samples that
were cast at 1000°C, are the highest among all composites

R. Srinivasu et al (2014) : Friction stir surfacing of cast A356 aluminiume silicon alloy with
boron carbide powders- Friction stir surfacing of as cast A356 Aluminium alloy is able to
refine the microstructure and form hard surface composite by reinforcing boron carbide
particles in the aluminium matrix. Particle size of boron carbide powder was found to affect
the final hardness and wear resistance of the alloy. Significant improvement in wear
resistance was achieved with the addition of 40 nm size boron carbide powders during friction
stir surfacing. Higher wear resistance of friction stir surfaced alloy is correlated to lower
values of friction coefficient and change in wear mechanism as evident from scanning

8
electron microscopy. Hence friction stir surfacing is an effective strategy to enhance the wear
resistance of as cast A356aluminum-silicon alloy to be used for high performance engineering
applications like torpedoes in defence

K V Sreenivas Rao et al (2017) : Comparative Evaluation of High Temperature Wear

Behaviour of Al-B4C Composite- Different aluminium boron carbide composites were
fabricated successfully by employing stir casting route .For all the developed composites the
wear rate and coefficient of friction of the tested specimens increases with the increase in
testing temperature. The highest wear rate and coefficient of friction was noted at a testing
temperature of 150°C for all the composites.

H.R. Lashgari et.al (2017) : Effect of strontium on the microstructure, porosity and
tensile properties of A356-9%B4C cast composite- In this work, the effect of
strontium on the microstructure, porosity and tensile properties of A356–9 vol.%B4C
cast composites has been studied. It has found that Sr added to A356 alloy and
A356–9%B4C composite to study the microstructural modification. Optimum level of
strontium for modification of A356 was found to 5%. A complete mod- ification of
silicon crystals in Al–B4C composite was made by 6% strontium. In fact, strong
negative interaction between B4C particles and strontium contributes to a higher
consumption of strontium. It was found that the addition of strontium has a marginal
effect on ultimate tensile strength and yield strength, but substantially improves the
elongation values of heat treated Al–B4C composite

N.Ch. Kaushik,R.N.Rao et.al (2016): Study on Tribological Behaviour of Al/MoS 2

/ SiC Hybrid Metal Matrix Composites in High Temperature Environmental
Condition- The current study investigates the tribological behaviour of aluminium
hybrid composite reinforced with SiC and MoS 2 at various temperature
environments. The hybrid metal matrix composites have been fabricated through
compo casting method by reinforcing different sizes of MoS 2 (10, 20, 40 μm) at
various weight fractions (5%, 10% & 15%) with 5059 aluminium alloy, meanwhile
the addition of siclicon carbide is fixed at 4%. Tribological behaviour of composites
was evaluated based on wear loss and friction coefficient by using pin on disc
apparatus. Along with particle size and weight percentage of MoS 2, load, sliding
velocity, sliding distance and temperature were considered as process parameters and
L27 orthogonal array was selected to perform the experiments. Through Taguchi and

9
Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) method optimum sliding condition for reduced wear
loss and the significance of each parameter on wear behaviour of the composite were
identified. Temperature and load predominantly affects the tribological behaviour of
aluminium hybrid composite. It was found that the wear resistance is high when the
particle 20 μm were reinforced at maximum percentage (15%).

D.P.Mondal et. al (2005): Made a study about the effect of SiC addition and
running-in-wear on the sliding wear behaviour of Al-Zn-Mg aluminium alloy. The
study shows that the sliding wear behaviour of aluminium alloy strongly depends on
the surface conditions and the particle additions. Addition of particle in the alloy
decreases the wear rate and the temperature rise, and increases the seizure pressure
and seizure temperature. Addition of 25% SiC particles increases the seizure pressure
by 80% and the seizure temperature by 40 degree Celsius. The wear rate and
temperature rise increases with increases in applied load. The wear rate and
temperature rise increases suddenly to a significantly higher value at the on-set of
seizing. The running-in-wear on the surface prior to the wear test increases the
seizure pressure and seizure temperature significantly and decreases the wear rate,
coefficient of friction and temperature rise irrespective of the material. The
improvement is due to formation of thin oxide coating or MML on the specimen
surface and formation of smoother surface.

10
2.2 RESEARCH GAPS
From the literature survey, it can be seen that study of microstructure, wear characteristics and
mechanical properties of Aluminium A356 alloy-with B4C as 9% and varying weight
percentage of Molybdenum Di Sulphide(MoS2) in 4%,8%,12% by stir casting are yet to be
investigated. A comparison of micro structure, wear characteristics and mechanical properties
(tensile strength and hardness) of these composites can be studied and the aluminium matrix
composites can be tailored for specific applications.

2.3 PROBLEM DEFINITION

To experimentally investigate and compare micro structure, wear characteristics and
mechanical properties of A356- B4C(9%)-MoS2(4%,8%,12%) composite

2.4 OBJECTIVES
To develop a new composite with properties like high strength and high wear resistance for
automobile applications (Engine cylinder , Engine block, flywheel, piston , pump bodies ) by
using aluminium alloy with Boron carbide and MoS2.

 Study microstructure of A356- B4C-MoS2 composite

 Study wear characteristics of A356- B4C-MoS2 composite.
 Study tensile strength of A356- B4C-MoS2 composite.
 Study hardness of A356- B4C-MoS2 composite

2.5 METHODOLOGY
 Pre-processing of B4C particles,MoS2 particle, A356 alloy and mould parts
 To prepare the composite by stir casting process
 Melting of A356 ALLOY
 Mixing with further pre-heated reinforcement particle
 Further stir casting process carried out
 Conducting wear test by pin on disc tribometer according to ASTM G-133- 05
standard.
 Analysing the micro structure of the composite by using an optical microscope
 Conducting tensile strength using UTM as per ASTM E8M04 standards.
 Conducting hardness test by Vickers hardness testing machine

11
 CHAPTER 3
EXPERIMENTAL METHODS

This chapter deals with the properties of materials selected, procedure used for the fabrication
of AMCs by stir casting method and the various mechanical tests conducted on the finished
specimens.

3.1 MATERIALS

Matrix material- A356 aluminium alloy

Figure 3.1 A356 Aluminium alloy

Aluminium A356 alloy used as matrix material in this study. It was purchased from RSA
METALS Coimbatore. A356 alloy contain 7.20% of Silicon which improves wear
characteristics and mechanical properties of aluminium. The chemical composition of A356 is
given table 3.1.

Table 3.1 Chemical composition of A356

Element Si Mg Cu Mn Fe Zn Ni Ti Al
Percentage 7.20 0.29 0.02 0.01 0.18 0.01 0.02 0.11 Balance

12
 Table 3.2 A356 alloy engineering properties

Properties Values

Density (x1000 kg/m³) 2.67

Piosson’s ratio 0.33

Elastic modulus (Gpa) 70-80

Tensile strength (Mpa) 154

Yield strength (Mpa) 164

Reinforcing phase- Boron carbide (B4C)

Figure 3.2 Boron carbide powders

Boron carbide powder is used as reinforcement to prepare the composite. Boron carbide
powder of particle size 70 µm is used for the test. B4C-rienforced aluminium matrix
composites has increased in the past decade because of light weight, excellent wear resistance
and suitable mechanical properties. In fact, B4C is an attractive reinforcing material for
aluminium and its alloys because of high melting point (2450 ◦C), high stiffness (445 GPa),
thermal stability, high hardness (3700 HV), great resistance to chemical agents at room
temperature, high neutron absorption tendency and low density (2.51 g/cm3). Boron carbide
powder provided by Sun WIRE Limited, New Delhi.

13
 Table 3.3 Chemical composition of Boron Carbide

Element Total Boron Total Carbon Total Iron Total B+C other
Percentage 77.5 21.5 0.2 99 0.8

Reinforcing phase- Molybedenum Di Sulphide (MoS2)

Figure 3.3 Molybedenum Di Sulphide (MoS2) powder

Molybedenum Di Sulphide (MoS2) powder is used as reinforcement in hybrid composite. It

has particle size of 30 µm. The MoS2 powder was purchased from Chemical Sales
Corporation Limited, New delhi.

Table 3.4 Chemical composition of Molybedenum Di Sulphide(MoS 2)

Element Acid Iron MoS2 MOO3 Moisture Other

Insoluble Content
Percentage 0.60 0.20 98.30 0.09 0.3 0.51

3.2 PRE REQUISITES FOR CASTING

The A356 Aluminium alloy has been used to prepare the molten metal. The alloy blocks have
been machined into small pieces with the help of power hacksaw so that pieces will easily fit
the crucible. A356 alloy is cleaned using water and soap solution thoroughly and then dried. It
is then weighed using a weighing balance. Predetermined weight of Boron carbide and MoS 2
are preheated for 1 hours in a preheating furnace at 400°c . The mould is cleaned and
preheated before casting, also crucible is cleaned prior to placing in furnace given. An
14
electrical furnace (maximum capacity-900⁰C, controller interface device) is used for the
melting of alloy .when the electric furnace is shot upto 800°c the alloy block have came into
molten stage. And hence after preheating the reinforcement particle it have been added to the
molten metal during stirring process. The stirring have been done manually using electric
stirrer nearly for 1 min. The reinforcement have been added using an funnel to the crucible.
Hence the Boron carbide and MoS2 is added with A356 alloy.

Figure 3.4 A356 Alloy cutting by power hacksaw Figure 3.5 A356 Alloy pieces

Figure 3.6 Electric Furnace Figure 3.7 Stirring machine

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 Figure 3.8 Preheating furnace

3.2.1 Casting of the composite

For the first composite 621g of alloy is used. For this cast 9% B 4C is used that is 64.86 g of
B4C with a 5% allowance and 4% MoS2 is used that is 28.55 g of MoS2, it is stirred for 60
seconds and then poured inside the mould cavity hence waited for few seconds and cast is
removed from the mould and cooled in air. For the second composite 627 g of alloy is used.
For this cast 9% B4C is used that is 67.98 g of B 4C with a 5% allowance and 8 % MoS2 is
used that 60.43 g of MoS2 it is stirred for 60 seconds and poured inside the mould cavity
hence waited for few seconds and then cast is removed from the mould and cooled in air . For
the third composite 631g of alloy is used. For this cast 9% B4C is used that is 71.88 g of B4C
with a 5% allowance and 12% MoS2 is used that 95.84 g of MoS2 it is stirred for 60 seconds
and poured inside the mould cavity waited for few seconds and cast is removed from the
mould and then cooled in air. For pure alloy 640 g is melted and poured into mould cavity and
cooled using air.

Figure 3.9 Mild steel mould Figure 3.10 Stirring of molten metal

16
Figure 3.11 Pouring of molten metal Figure 3.12 Cast specimen

3.3 MICROSTRUCTURE
The mechanical properties of cast aluminium alloy component are determined largely by the
shape and distribution of the elements in the alloy matrix. Hence the microstructure study of
the aluminium is very important in predicting the nature of interaction between the molecules
in the alloy. Two surfaces of the specimen is faced to get a plane surface and it is polished
with emery paper of grades P200, P400,P600,P1000 and P1200. Emery paper of grade P2000
is used in double disc polishing machine. Kerosene is used as lubricant at the time of
polishing. For the fine polishing 3-4µm and 0.5-1µm of diamond paste are used with velvet in
double disc polishing machine. At 200 rpm disc was rotated (Shins et. al., 2017) and by
applying small pressure specimen is held on top of disc. Initial polishing is done by diamond
paste having size range of 3-4 μm. Water was supplied continuously for lubricating and
cooling purpose. Final polishing done by 0.5-1μm size diamond paste followed same
procedure. After polishing surface is cleaned with soap solution and dried using a blower and
microstructure is taken using optical microscope of magnification 10X,20X,50X and the
variation is observed.

17
 Figure 3.13 Optical Microscope with polished specimen for testing

Figure 3.14 Double disc polishing machine

3.4 WEAR TESTING

Wear is defined as a process of removal of material from one or both of two solid surfaces in
solid contact. Unidirectional dry sliding wear tests using a pin-on-disc tribometer with a flat
tipped pin and a disc were carried out in this project work. The wear test was carried out using
the pin-on-disc tribometer. For the test to be carried out, 30mm height and 8 mm diameter

18
specimen is cut using CNC wire cutting . One of the surfaces is made flat and perpendicular
to the length by polishing using emery paper (P400 grade) and the weight of pin before
experiment take using a high precision balance. A pin on disc tribometer is used for wear test.
Test was done at a room temperature 30 degree Celsius. Disc was rotated at an rpm of 128
and track diameter used was 60mm resulting in a speed of 0.4m/s corresponding to a sliding
distance of 400m. The normal applied load was 15N, 45N and 75N for each specimen after
each experiment mass of pin is taken using balance and loss of mass due to wear is calculated.
The experiment was then conducted by varying the applied load. Wear loss calculated by
measuring weight of the specimen before and after 400m sliding. An electronic weighing pan
with accuracy of 0.0001g was used for weigh purpose.

Figure 3.15 Cast specimen Pin on disc apparatus Figure 3.16 Wear specimens

3.5 TENSILE TEST

Tensile tests were used to assess the mechanical behaviour of the composites and matrix
alloy. A computer controlled UTM is used to determine the tensile test. The specimen for
tensile test is prepared as per ASTM E8M04 by using CNC wire cutting. Then the specimen
is fixed into the testing machine with appropriate grips, required data is input into the
computer. Then load is applied gradually in increasing manner.

19
Figure 3.17 ASTM standard dimension

Figure 3.18 ASTM standard specimens

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 Figure 3.19 Universal Testing Machine

3.6 HARDNESS TEST

Hardness is the property of a material that enables it to resist plastic deformation, usually by
penetration. A hardness property value is the result of a defined measurement procedure. The
usual method to achieve a hardness value is to measure the depth or area of an indentation left
by an indenter of a specific shape, with a specific force applied for a specific time. Bulk
hardness of the composite samples was measured using Micro Hardness Testing machine.
Test specimen is leveled and placed on the stage of the micro hardness tester. Indentation load
of 0.5 kN was applied for 20 sec. Indentation diagonal was then measured using microscope
and calculate the hardness number.

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 Figure 3.20 Micro hardness tester

Figure 3.21 Specimen placed on the micro hardness tester

22
 CHAPTER 4
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

In this chapter, results obtained from the experiments and discussions are presented. The
micro structure, wear characteristics and mechanical properties of A356-B4C-MoS2
composites made by stir casting method were analyzed and compared.

4.1 MICROSTRUCTURE ANALYSIS

Aluminium Dendrite

Figure 4.1 A356 Alloy

Boron Carbide

Molybedenum Di Sulphide

Figure 4.2 A356-B4C(9%)-MoS2(4%)

The above figure shows the micro structure of hybrid composite, figure 4.1 shows the base
metal A356 alloy and the figure 4.2 shows the A356 alloy with B4C 9% and MoS2( 4%) micro

23
structure with 200X magnification. The particle size in the image shows 70µm. The micro
structure reveals better distribution of reinforcements during casting. The micro structure
shows that reinforcement particles are uniformly dispersed in the nugget zone due to proper
mixing and distribution of reinforcements.

Boron Carbide

Molybedenum Di Sulphide

Figure 4.3 A356-B4C(9%)-MoS2(8%)

The above figure shows the micro structure in second composition MoS2 as 8% volume
reveals better distribution of reinforcements during casting. The particle size in the image
shows 70µm, as figure shows the micro structure with 200X magnification. Also the micro
structure shows that reinforcement particles are uniformly dispersed due to proper mixing and
distribution of reinforcements.

Molybedenum Di Sulphide

Boron Carbide

Figure 4.4 A356-B4C(9%)-MoS2(12%)

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The above figure shows the micro structure in third composition MoS2 as 12% volume reveals
better distribution of reinforcements during casting. The particle size in the image shows
70µm, as figure shows the micro structure with 200X magnification Also noticed that slight
smearing occurred during preparation (mixing with B4C particles in solid phase) and were
continued during mixing in the process of casting.

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4.2 WEAR CHARACTERISTICS

COMPOSITES APPLIED LOAD (N) WEIGHT LOSS(grm)

15 0.0042
A356 Alloy
45 0.0049
75 0.0061

15 0.0032
A356 Alloy+ 9% B4C + 4%
MoS2 45 0.0041

75 0.0056

15 0.0030
A356 Alloy+ 9% B4C + 8%
MoS2 45 0.0039

75 0.0051

15 0.0026
A356 Alloy+9% B4C + 12%
MoS2 45 0.0037

75 0.0046

Table 4.1 Weight loss

Table 4.1 shows the weight loss of gravity cast under different load conditions ( 15N, 45N,
75N) at a sliding speed of 0.4 m/s with a track diameter of 60 mm, slide through a 400m
distance. Figure 4.5 shows Wear rate v/s Applied load graph at different load conditions
(15N,45N,75N ). In general wear rate increases with load due to increases metallic intimacy
between the mating surfaces under higher load. By applying reinforcing particles B 4C and
MoS2, it is found that the wear rate decreases by the addition of B 4C and MoS2 to matrix
alloy which increases wear resistance due to greater bonding between aluminium matrix and
the reinforcement particle such as B4C and MoS2 also exhibit greater hardness. The general
trend observed was, as the hardness of the material increases, wear rate decreases. For all load
conditions after sliding for some time due to frictional force heat generated and temperature at
sliding interfaces increases. This cause atmospheric oxygen to react with pin material and
oxides are formed at the contact surfaces of which is known as oxidation wear.

26
 Figure 4.5 Wear rate v/s Applied load graph

4.3 TENSILE TEST

Tensile test result revealed that AMCs have good ultimate tensile strength than unreinforced
A356 alloys. Table 4.2 shows ultimate tensile strength of AMCs

COMPOSITES UTS (MPa)

A356 Alloy 157.31±1.99

A356 Alloy+ 9% B4C + 4% MoS2 168.2±2.01

A356 Alloy+ 9% B4C + 8% MoS2 176.8±2.35

A356 Alloy+9% B4C + 12% MoS2 175.2±2.05

Table 4.2 Ultimate tensile strength

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 UTS (MPa)
180
175
170
165
160
UTS (MPa)
155
150
145
A356 Alloy A356 Alloy+ 9%A356 Alloy+ 9% A356 Alloy+9%
B4C + 4% B4C + 8% B4C + 12%
MoS2 MoS2 MoS2

Figure 4.6 Ultimate tensile test graph

Graph shows that the addition of B4C (9%) and MoS2 (4%,8%) increases tensile strength of
the composites due to the interfacial bonding between the reinforcement and the matrix. But
in the case of A356-B4C(9%)-MoS2(12%) a decrease in tensile strength can been seen. The
reduction of the UTS resulted from the rejection of reinforcement particles to the slag and
some time it may be occurred due to smearing of reinforcement particles. The real reason for
this is need to be investigated in detail. Agglomeration and improper wetting may affect the
lowering of tensile strength. The other causes for UTS decrease at 12% MoS2 in composite
might be due to increase in volume percentage of MoS 2 particles which may produce some
crack initiation and hence lowers the load bearing .

4.4 HARDNESS
Hardness is the resistance of a material against indentation. Table 4.3 shows Vickers
hardness number composites and figure 4.8 shows Vickers hardness graph.

COMPOSITES HARDNESS (HV)

A356 Alloy 73.2±3.71
A356 Alloy+ 9% B4C + 4% MoS2 78.6±3.92
A356 Alloy+ 9% B4C + 8% MoS2 84.3±2.51
A356 Alloy+9% B4C + 12% MoS2 88.2±2.91

Table 4.3 Vickers hardness values

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 HARDNESS (HV)
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
HARDNESS (HV)
30
20
10
0
A356 Alloy A356 Alloy+ A356 Alloy+ A356
9% B4C + 4% 9% B4C + 8% Alloy+9% B4C
MoS2 MoS2 + 12% MoS2

Fig 4.7 Vickers hardness graph

The effects of reinforcement particle on the hardness were studied. As a percentage of

reinforcement increases the hardness of the composite also increases. The increase in the
hardness of composite due to the presence of hard reinforced particle such as MoS2 and Boron
carbide. The reinforced particle will help to withstand the major load transmitted by the base
alloy and the presence of porosity in the composite also inversely affect on the hardness. other
researchers also reported that the addition of Boron carbide, MoS2, alumina, SiC improve the
hardness of the composite.

29
 CHAPTER 5
CONCLUSIONS

In this work preparation of A356 alloy reinforced with B4C and MoS2 were done and
investigated the wear characteristics, micro structural and mechanical properties (tensile and
hardness) were studied and the following conclusions are evolved from the study.

 Micro structural study reveals the uniform distribution of reinforcing particles. Micro
structural photographs also shows composites manufactured are found with better
quality. It also ensures the composites made are free from any defects like porosity,
crack, foreign particles etc.
 Addition of B4C and MoS2 improves wear rate of the composites. The general trend
observed was, as the hardness of the material increases, wear rate decreases. Presence
of harder B4C in A356-B4C(9%)-MoS2(4%,8%,12%) shows better wear resistance at
the addition of MoS2 with different increasing volume percentage. Thus the wear rate
decreases may be due to the presence of increasing volume percentage of MoS2.
 In the case of ultimate tensile strength, addition of MoS2 increases tensile strength due
to greater bonding of matrix and harder reinforcement particle. In this composite the
tensile strength of the composite with a constant weight percentage of B 4C(9%) and
increasing volume of MoS2 as 4%,8%,12% the maximum tensile strength was
observed at 8% of MoS2 and there is a slight decrease at 12% of MoS2. The cause of
this might be due to increase in volume percentage of MoS 2 particles which produce
some crack initiation and hence lowers the load bearing.
 Addition of MoS2 with constant volume percentage of B4C increases the hardness of
the composites due to good bonding and proper mixing of reinforcement and matrix.
The increase in the hardness of composite due to the presence of hard reinforced
particle such as MoS2 and Boron carbide.
 Hence by comparing the result from 3 composition the optimum value for hardness
and wear rate found at with 12% addition of MoS2 and optimum tensile strength at an
addition of 8% of MoS2.
 Thus as per the application we can use composite material with better wear and
hardness required for disc brake and cylinder head, similarly effective tensile strength
required for bumper and crash box of the vehicle.

30
5.1 Scope for future work

 To study the effect of temperature on wear rate of composite material, different

temperature conditions can be included during sliding wear test using pin on disc
tribometer.
 The real reason for decreasing the tensile strength of the composite at A356-B4C(9%)-
MoS2(12%)need to be investigated in detail.
 The present study can be extended by incorporating the study of tensile strength and
hardness of the composite sample processed at different temperature.

31
 REFERENCES

(Journals)

 K.Shirvanimoghaddam et.al (2016) : Boron carbide reinforced aluminium matrix

composite: Physical, mechanical characterization journals of alloys and compounds,
S0921-5093(16)30115-09
 R. Srinivasu et al (2014) : Friction stir surfacing of cast A356 Aluminium silicon
alloy with boron carbide powders journals of mettalurgical engineering
2014;2(4):362-369
 K V Sreenivas Rao et al (2017) : Comparative Evaluation of High Temperature Wear
Behavior of Al-B4C Composite. Tribology international 96(2017) 184-190
 H.R. Lashgari et.al (2017) : Effect of strontium on the microstructure, porosity and
tensile properties of A356-9%B4C cast composite. Engineering Science and
Technology an International Journal 18(2017)416-422
 N.Ch. Kaushik,R.N.Rao et.al (2016): Study on Tribological Behaviour of Al/MoS2 /
SiC Hybrid Metal Matrix Composites in High Temperature Environmental Condition.
Tribology international 96(2016) 184-190
 D.P. Mondal, S.Das, R.N Rao, M.Singh (2005): Effect of SiC addition and running
in wear on the sliding wear behavior of Al-Zn-Mg aluminium alloy. Material Science
and Engineering A 402(2005) 307-319

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LIST OF PUBLICATIONS
Abhilash V S, Sajith C Subramanian, Rahul.K.R “Experimental Investigation on Mechanical
properties,wear characteristics and micro structure of A356- B4C-MoS2 composite”;
Conference on Advancements in Mechanical Engineering (ICAME 2019), held on 10 th and
11th of April 2019 at Jyothi Engineering College, Thrissur, Kerala

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