Fabrication and wear analysis of Al 8009-TiB₂ composites produced by ultrasonic assisted stir casting

Transformative strides in composites are imperative for developing efficient and lightweight solutions within the fields of automotive, aerospace, naval, and defence. The integration of ceramic materials into aluminium matrix composites stands out as a promising avenue for enhancing material performance. Achieving a uniform dispersion of reinforcement particles within an aluminium matrix is a significant challenge. This study focused on the development of Al 8009 composites reinforced with TiB₂ particles at varying weight percentages using an ultrasonic probe-assisted stir-casting method and investigated the microstructural, mechanical, and wear properties of the fabricated composites. The microstructure of Al 8009, reinforced with TiB₂ at various weight percentages, demonstrates a uniform distribution of TiB₂ particles within the Al 8009 matrix. Notably, the composite containing 5 weight% of TiB₂ exhibited a peak hardness of 128.39 HV and tensile strength of 127 MPa. A central composite design, incorporating four parameters at three distinct levels, was utilized to evaluate specific wear rate and coefficient of friction as response variables. The ANOVA analysis elucidated that the model is statistically significant, exhibiting R² values of 0.9658 and 0.9980 for the specific wear rate and coefficient of friction, respectively. The study determined that the optimal conditions of 4.49% reinforcement, 20 N load, 1.48778 m/s sliding velocity, and 500 m sliding distance resulted in a SWR of 7.05 × 10^− 5 mm³/Nm and a COF of 0.29, demonstrating improved material properties. The behaviour of friction and wear was effectively predicted by ANN which exhibited a high correlation with an R-value of 0.97838.