Prediction of specific wear rate of Al7050-12 wt% ZrO₂ composite using box-behnken design approach

In automotive and aerospace applications, dry sliding wear is one of the primary considerations for selecting a material. For a variety of tribological applications, new aluminium matrix composites (AMCs) provide a superior wear resistance. Hence, the aim of this study was to synthesize an Al7050 alloy combined with 12wt.% ZrO₂ composite by stir casting route and also conduct a wear test using a pin-on-disc equipment. Here, the input parameters, namely load (A), disc velocity (B), and sliding distance (C), were taken into account during the experimental work. The specific wear rate (SWR) was determined as the output. The experimental design was formulated utilising three factors at three levels Box Behnken design (BBD) employing by response surface methodology (RSM). An analysis of variance results revealed that load and disc velocity were the most significant parameter on SWR. The surface and contour plots depicted that SWR increases with increasing in load and disc velocity. The generated models are more accurate, as demonstrated by the confirmation test.