International Conference on Advances in Design and Manufacturing (ICAD&M'14)

801

Influence of Particle Size in the wear Behavior of

Al-Si-B4 C Developed Composite prepared using
Stir Casting
S. Mohan, Z. Edward Kennedy, G.S. Kumarasamy and R. Ambigai
Abstract--- All automotive applications require light
weight materials with good strength. Hence Al-Si alloys are
generally the choice of the Engineers for the automotive
applications. The silicon percentage varies from 7% to 14%.
Boron carbide as a reinforcement material is preferred for its
capability to better the Mechanical properties of the
developed composites.
Boron carbides with three particle sizes were chosen for
the reinforcement with the Al-Si base alloy. The particle sizes
of the reinforcement are roughly 24 microns, 63 microns and
100 Nanometer. The composite is developed through stir
casting process. The developed composite is tested for its
Mechanical properties, Wear behavior and machinability
studies. The wear tested specimens are characterized using
scanning electron microscopy. It was found that the composite
reinforced with particle size with 100 nanometers has better
mechanical properties and wear behavior. Also it was found
that the material removal takes place through chipping and
micro cutting during the wear testing process. Machinability
studies revealed that no grain pullout or particle dislodgement
was seen in the machining process. XRD pattern showed the
existence of reinforcement particles in the developed
composites.
Key words--- Al-Si, B4C, SEM , Wear

I.

INTRODUCTION

typical composite material is a system of materials

composing of two or more materials (mixed and bonded)
on a macroscopic scale. Generally, a composite material is
composed of reinforcement (fibres, particles, flakes, and/or
fillers) embedded in a matrix (polymers, metals, or ceramics).
The matrix holds the reinforcement to form the desired shape
while the reinforcement improves the overall mechanical
properties of the matrix. When designed properly, the new
combined material exhibits better strength than would each
individual material. Composite material have gained
popularity (despite their generally high cost) in high

Mohan, Professor, GNIT Hyderabd. Email: zedvin22@yahoo.com

Z. Edward Kennedy, Professor, KCG College of Technology,Chennai.
Email: ted.kcg@gmail.com
G.S. Kumarasamy, Professor, KCG College of Technology, Chennai.
Email: hoded@kcgcollege.com
R. Ambigai, Asst. Professor, SRM University, Chennai. Email:
ambigai.rajasekaran@gmail.com

performance products that need to be light weight, yet strong

enough to take harsh loading conditions.
Improvement in the hardness of the composite is widely
observed by the addition of boron carbide. Mohamed sharifi
saw five times increase in the hardness when boron carbide
was added with pure aluminum alloy. B4C nano particles were
mixed with pure Al powder by ball milling to produce Al-B4C
powder. Al-B4C powder containing different amounts of B 4C
(5, 10, and 15wt. %) were subsequently hot pressed to produce
bulk nano composite samples. Results showed that the sample
with 15 wt. % B4C had the optimum properties. This sample
had a hardness value of 164 HV which is significantly higher
than 33 HV for pure Al. [1]
When boron carbide particles were coated with boron
nitride, reduction in the particles size was observed after the
composite was developed. The B4C nano-composites and
micro composites were sintered by plasma-activated sintering.
For the nano-composites, due to the homogeneous dispersion
of the nano-BN crystals around the B4C grains of the matrix,
the grain size of nano-composites was smaller than the
monolithic B4C and micro-composites. As a result, the
bending strength of the nano-composites decreased slowly,
while their hardness decreased sharply and the machine ability
properties were improved noticeably.[2]
Among ceramic particlesB4C, due to high melting point
(2450 C), high modulus(445 GPa), good thermal stability,
good hardness (B4C is the third hardest material after diamond
and cubic boron nitride) high wear and impact resistance, high
chemical resistance and low density (2.51 g/cm3), is an
appropriate reinforcing material for producing aluminum
based composites. Besides, because ofhigh capacity for
neutron absorption in isotope B10, AlB4C composites have
special applications in nuclear industries [3-7]
Faster grain refinement was observed when nano sized
particles were used for reinforcements. To clarify the role of
particle size of B4C, two different sized particles were chosen.
Aluminum and B4C powders were mixed mechanically and
milled at different times (2, 5,10h) to achieve Al-2.5 vol%
B4C and Al-5 vol% B4C composites powders. The produced
composites were investigated using X-ray diffraction pattern
(XRD) to elucidate the role of particles size. The results
showed that an increase in milling time caused to reduce the
grain size. At the same condition a faster grain refinement for
Al/B4C nano composites were observed with respect to
Al/B4C composites [8].The mechanical properties of the fine

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International Conference on Advances in Design and Manufacturing (ICAD&M'14)

grained composites dependon: (a) the particle characteristics,

(b) the particle distribution, and (c) the matrix mean grain size
[9].
Currently, there are several fabrication methods of AMCs,
including mechanical alloying with high energy milling,
vortex process, disintegrated melt deposition, powder
metallurgy, ultrasonic casting, etc. Solid-state methods for the
fabrication of AMCs seriously suffer from limitations in size
and complexity of the components. The liquid-state methods
such as stir-casting and compo casting are attractive due to
low cost, high yield, and near net shaping. But it is extremely
challenging for stir casting to uniformly disperse nano-sized
particles in the melt due to their large surface-to-volume ratio
and poor wett ability [10].

802

Sufficient time was allowed for the aluminum to melt and the
furnace was maintained at 850C for half an hour. The temp is
maintained in such a manner since boron carbide has poor
wettability at lower temperatures [12, 13]. 3.33 Weight % of
B4C was taken in another graphite crucible and preheated for
half an hour which ensures uniform distribution of B 4C
particle. The heated boron carbide is then added slowly
through a funnel into the melt. The stirrer of the furnace is
switched on all this time so as to ensure uniform distribution
of boron carbide in the molten matrix. The stirrer is made to
run at 750rpm for a period of 15 minutes. The molten mixture
is then poured into a graphite coated die by gravity and the die
is then cooled at room temperature.

In machinability studies investigations, statistical design of

experiments is used quite extensively. Statistical design of
experiments refers to the process of planning the experiment
so that the appropriate data can be analyzed by statistical
methods, resulting in valid and objective conclusions. DOE
methods such as factorial design, response surface
methodology and Taguchi methods are now widely [11]
Fig 1 Stir Cast setup
II.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A. Materials
Al-Si alloy chosen for the investigation contains 10%
Si,0.10% Mg,0.10% Cu, 0.50% of Mn,0.60% Fe,0.20% of Ti
and rest Al. Al- Si alloy was reinforced with B4C particles of
different sizes.
Table 1 Details of B4C Particles used for reinforcements
Sl.No
1
2
3

B4 C Particles
24 Microns
100 nm
63 Microns

Base Alloy
Al -Si
Al-Si
Al-Si

Table 1 gives the details of the different particle sizes used

in the reinforcement process. The composite developed using
particles 24 microns and 100nm were used for the Wear
studies and the composites developed using 24 microns and 63
microns were used for the machinability study.
Table 2 Composition of Aluminum Composite
Elements
Al-Si alloy

Weight (g)
1000

Purpose
Base alloy

Boron carbide

33

Reinforcement

Magnesium

Wettability

Coverall

10

Prevent oxide formation

Degasser

5.2

Removing slag

C. Wear Tests
In order to determine the wear behavior of the composite,
the experiments were performed using a computer controlled
pin-on-disc tribometer (Ducom, Bangalore, India) under
ambient conditions of temperature (room temperature) and
humidity. Dry sliding test were carried out as per ASTM G99
test standards on pin-on-disc tribometer. En31 steel disc with
the hardness of 60HRC which are grounded to surface finish
of 1.6 Ra was mounted and secured tight perpendicular to the
axis of rotation. The wear test specimens were machined into
pins of size 10mm diameter, 25mm length using a lathe from
the cast composite. The end of specimens were polished with
abrasive paper of grade 1\0 and followed by grade 4\0. The
pins were cleaned with acetone and weighed before and after
testing to an accuracy of 0.0001g to determine amount of
wear.
Table 3 Details of Wear Test
SPECIFICATION
RPM of the disc
Track diameter
Hardness of the Disc
Material
Disc
Thickness
Diameter
Pin

Length
Diameter

III.
B. Processing Route
Stir casting setup was used to melt the aluminum alloy.
The furnace was fired after setting the graphite crucible with
required quantity of aluminum and with flux added to it.

Fig.2 Developed Composite

500
35 mm
60 2 HRC
EN 31 HS
10 mm
65 mm
25 mm
10 mm

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

A. Mechanical Properties
The mechanical properties like tensile strength and
hardness of the developed composites were examined. Table 4
and Table 5 show the details of these tests. There was

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International Conference on Advances in Design and Manufacturing (ICAD&M'14)

appreciable increase in the tensile strength when compared

with the base alloy; the increase was to an extent of 23%
however the hardness of the composites were more or less
closer for varying particles size.
Table 4: Details of Tensile Test
Tensile Strength(N/mm2)

Specimen
Al-Si alloy

148

Al-Si-B4C (24 microns)

165

Al-Si-B4C ( 100nm)

182

803

Load Vs Mass Loss (Nano)

0.04
0.03
Mass 0.02
Loss (g) 0.01
0

1000m
2000m
20

30

40

3000m

Load (N)
Fig4 Load Vs Mass loss (particle Size 100nm)

Table 5: Details of Hardness Test

Load Vs Wear rate

Specimen

Indentation

Hardness

Al-Si

Dia(mm)
1.80

(BHN)
38.97

1.70

43.73

1.69

44.26

1.67

45.23

1.67

45.23

1.69

44.26

Fig 5. Load Vs Wear rate (Particle size: 24 Microns)

1.69

44.26

Load Vs Wear rate(Nano)

Al-Si-B4C

0.08
Wear 0.06
Rate 0.04
(mm3 0.02
/m)
0

1000m
2000m
20

(24 Microns)

30

40

3000m

Load (N)
Al-Si-B4C
( 100nm)

B. Wear Behavior
From the fig 3 and fig.4 it was observed that the mass loss
in nano reinforced composites are much lower than the one
with particle size of 24microns. This confirms the strength to
resist wear is predominantly shown in nano composites. The
mass loss increases with increasing the applied load, and a
sharp rise happens at 40 N. The same trend was observed by
Yuhai etal while studying the Friction and wear behavior of
Al-Si /B4C composites. [14] .Wear resistance in nano
composites are much higher to an extent of 50 % when
compared in terms of Mass Loss. The lower weight reduction
is attributed to lower value of coefficient of friction. The
coefficient of friction fluctuates between 34.2. When the
coefficient of friction is nearing 4, plastic deformation occurs
resulting in loss of material.

Load Vs Mass Loss

0.1

Mass 0.05
Loss (g)
0

1000m
20

30

40

2000 m
3000m

Load (N)

0.01

Wear
rate
0.005
(mm 3
/m)

1000m
2000m

0
20

30

40

3000m

Load(N)
Fig 6. Load Vs Wear rate (Particle size 100nm)
Fig 5 and Fig 6 illustrates the behaviour of load vs wear
rate. As the load increses the wear rate tend to increse initially
and then begin to drop. For higher the sliding distance , lesser
is the rate of wear. This may be mainly due to the influnece of
strain hardening. Initially the material removal is faster and
then begin to subside. This is invariably found in micro and
nano cmposites. The wear rate seems to be 10 times lower in
the case of the nano sized particle.
C. Machinability Studies
Machinability studies were performed on the omposites
developed with two different boron carbide particle 24
microns and 100nm .

Fig3 Load Vs Mass loss (particle Size 24 microns)

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International Conference on Advances in Design and Manufacturing (ICAD&M'14)

804

symptoms of grain pullout or particles dislodgment seen while

machining the composites.

100 Depth of Cut Vs MRR (1400 rpm)

80
60

MRR
(mm3 /s)

IV.

40

24 Microns ,0.05 feed

20

100nm, 0.05 feed

0
0.4

0.6

0.8

Depth of Cut (mm)

Fig 7 Depth of Cut Vs Roughness (0.05feed)

300

Depth of Cut Vs MRR ( 1400 rpm)

250

EDAX ANALYSIS

Energy Dispersive X ray Spectroscopy is an analytical

technique used for the elemental analysis or chemical
characterization of a sample. Its characterization capabilities
are due in large part to the fundamental principle that each
element has a unique atomic structure allowing unique set of
peaks on its X-ray spectrum. The higher peak represents the
higher the percentage of the material present in the composite.
The highest peak in the picture corresponds to Aluminum as it
is the base metal present in the composite as inferred from the
image. The next peak corresponds to silicon and the
subsequent peak corresponds to Boron.

200
MRR
(mm 3/ S)

150
24 Microns, 0.15 feed

100

100nm, 0.15 feed

50
0
0.4

0.6

0.8

Depth of Cut (mm)

Fig 8 Depth of Cut Vs Roughness(0.15 feed)

3.5
3

Fig 11. Representaiton of Peak in EDAX

Table 5 Quantitatie Analysis of EDAX Results

Depth of Cut Vs Roughness

( 2600 rpm)

lement

2.5
Roughness
(microns)

Net

Weight %

Atom %

Counts

2
1.5

24 microns 0.05 feed

3789

3.17

3.49

2789

10.87

17.42

Na

2191

2.05

2.28

Al

121924

71.20

67.65

Si

8833

9.56

8.73

Cl

2895

3.39

2.45

644

0.79

0.52

24 Microns, 0.15 feed

Ca

363

0.50

0.32

100nm 0.15 feed

Fe

286

1.00

0.46

Mo

428

0.66

0.18

100.00

100.00

100nm ,0.05 feed

0.5
0
0.4

0.6

0.8

Depth of Cut (mm)

Fig 9 Depth of Cut Vs Roughness (0.05feed)

3.5
Depth
of Cut Vs Roughness
3
(2600 rpm)
2.5
Roughness
(microns)

2
1.5
1
0.5
0
0.4

0.6

0.8

Depth of Cut (mm)

Total

Fig 10 Depth of Cut Vs Roughness (0.15feed)

Fig 7-10 illustrates the roughness for varying Depth of cut.
By changing the speed and feed the measurements were taken
. It is observed composite reinforeced with fine particles
shows better surface finish while machining. There is no

The presence and volumetric composition of the

reinforcement in the base alloy was studied. The presence of
various elements was confirmed from the test.

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International Conference on Advances in Design and Manufacturing (ICAD&M'14)

V.

805

The formations of pit like surfaces are the results of the

inherent nature of the casting process

SEM EXAMINATION

VI.

CONCLUSION

(1) Increased tensile strength was observed in the

developed composites when the particle size is
relatively smaller.
(2) Not much difference was observed in the hardness of
the developed composites for varying particle sizes.
(3) 50% reduction in mass loss is observed when the B 4C
composites were reinforced with nano particles
(4) The wear test results showed, the nano composites
offers high resistance to wear. The wear rate is 10
times lower in the case of nano composites.
(5) Machinability studies reveal that no grain pullout has
taken place during the machining process. The
material removal is more of shearing as such in
regular machining process.

Fig 12: Distribution of the micro sized B4C Particle in the

Developed composites
Fig 12 reveals the how the micro sized particles are
distributed in the Matrix.

REFERENCES
[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

Fig13.SEM Image of Al-B4C worn Surface at 3000 m Sliding

distance
Fig 13 shows the SEM image of the worn surface at 3000
m for a load of 30 N. The image reveals that the material
removal has occurred due to micro cutting .In some places
chipping has taken place. Ploughing marks are widely seen in
the surfaces. Long abrasion grooves and a number of pits are
observed which are parallel to the sliding direction.

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

Fig 14 Machined surface (1400 rpm, 0.25 feed) at250x

Fig .14 shows the SEM Image of the machined surface for
particles reinforced with 24 microns.. The machined surface
reveals that the material removal is mostly due to shearing.

[13]

Mohammad Sharifi, F. Karimzadeh, M.H Enayati, Fabrication and

evaluation of mechanical and tribological properties of Boron carbide
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(2011) 3263-3271.
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of machinability silicon carbide-boron nitride ceramic composites,
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Alizadeh A, Taheri-Nassaj E, Ehsani N. Synthesis of boron carbide
powder by a carbothermic reduction method. J Euro Ceram Soc
2004;24:322734.
Nie C, Gu J, Liu J, Zhang D. Investigation on microstructures and
interface character of B4C particles reinforced 2024Al matrix
composites fabricated bymechanical alloying. J Alloys Compd
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Jichun YE, Jianhong HE, Julie MS. Cryomilling for the fabrication of a
particulate B4C reinforced Al nanocomposite: Part I. Effects of process
conditions on structure. Metall Mater Trans A 2006;37:3099109.
Cambronero EG. High-temperature mechanical properties of aluminum
alloys reinforced with boron carbide particles. Mater Sci Eng A
2009;499:4216.
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B4C nano-composite powders by mechanical alloying. J Alloys Compd
2009;479:33441.
Y.Saberi S.M. Zebarjad, G.H. Akbari, Role of nano sized SiC an
lattice strain and grain size of Al-SiC nano composites, Journal of
alloys and compounds 484 (2009) 637-640.
Schmidt CW, Knieke C, Maier V, Hppel HW, Peukert W, Gken M.
Acceleratedgrain refinement during accumulative roll banding by
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Suri.A.K and Gupta C.K., Studies on the fabrication of Aluminum
bonded boron carbide rings ,Journal of Nuclear Materials 74 (1978) 297302,
Aman Aggarwala,, Hari Singhb, Pradeep Kumarc, Manmohan
SinghdOptimizing power consumption for CNC turned parts using
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Canakci A., Microstructure and abrasive wear behavior of B4C particle
reinforced 2014 Al matrix composites, J. Mater. Sci., 46 (08) (2011),
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Sajjadi S.A, Ezatpour H.R and Beygi H, "Microstructure and mechanical
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ISBN 978-93-84743-12-3 2014 Bonfring

International Conference on Advances in Design and Manufacturing (ICAD&M'14)

[14] Yuhai Dou , Yong Liu , Yanbin Liu , Zhiping Xiong , Qingbing Xia
,Friction and wear behaviors of B4C/6061Al composite,Materials and
Design 60 (2014) 669677

Mohan (Bangalore, Born in 1962) Mohan Graduated in

Mechanical Engineering from
SIT
Tumkur,
Karnataka in the year 1984. He completed his Masters
in Engineering Design at UVCE Bangalore in the year
1992from Bangalore University. He started his career in
Teaching at Ambedkar In stitute of Technology,
Bangalore and currently working as a Professor in GNIT
Hyderabad. He has 25 years of Professional Experience
and held various positions as Head of the Department,
Dean etc. His area of research interest includes Metal Matrix composites,
Metal forming etc.

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