Impact of Extrusion Procession Wear Behavior of Boron Nitride Reinforced Aluminum 6061-Based Composites

Aluminum (Al) 6000 alloy series are more industrial friendly among aluminum alloys since they are heat treatable and have superior formability. In the present experiment, Al 6061- boron nitride reinforced composites were developed by changing the boron nitride wt.% concentration. Composites samples were prepared for 3, 6 and 9 wt.% of boron nitride concentration. Boron nitride is used as reinforcement considering its superior hardness and thermal properties. The stir casting process is adopted for the fabrication of composites since it is a flexible and generally recognized method for developing castings economically. The prepared composites are successively hot extruded in nature. The extrusion process decreases defects in casting and modifies its grain structure resulting in an improvement in hardness and wear resistance. A metallographic study has done to determine the nature of boron nitride dispersion in matrix alloy. The microstructure photographs indicate the homogenous distribution of reinforcement in the Al6061 alloy. Study of hardness and wear resistance behavior has been carried out before and after extrusion. Al6061 -BN composites exhibited a decrease in wear rate compared to aluminum alloy. With an increase in sliding velocity and load, the wear rate of both aluminum alloy and composites increases, but when compared to conventional alloy the wear rate of in composite is less. The surface morphology has carried out on the worn out surface to identify the probable wear mechanisms.