Experimental Investigation of Wear Properties of Aluminium LM25 Red Mud Metal Matrix Composite

The use of different kind of Metal-matrix composite materials is in constant growing over the years, because they have better physical, mechanical and tribological properties comparing to matrix materials. In automotive industry they are used for pistons, cylinders, engine blocks, brakes and power transfer system elements. Research attempts have been made in the past toreduce the cost of processing of composites, decrease the weight of the composites, and increase the desired performance characteristics. This paper presents the findings of an experimental investigation on the effects of applied load, RPM, Sliding distance and pin temperature in dry sliding wear studies performed on red mud-based aluminum metal matrix composites (MMC). Red mud is an industrial waste during the production of aluminum from bauxite ore. A pin-on-disc apparatus was used to conduct the dry sliding wear test. Taguchi-based L9 orthogonal array has been used to accomplish the objective of the experimental study. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) is employed to find the optimal setting and the effect of each parameter on wear rate.