An Investigation on the Microstructure and Wear Properties of TiB2 Reinforced AA2014 Aluminium Alloy Produced by Vacuum Infiltration

Abstract

In this study, microstructural, mechanical and wear properties of TiB2 reinforced Al 2014-based composites produced by vacuum infiltration were investigated under different production temperatures. It was observed that the microstructures of the composites consisted of Al matrix and TiB2 particles. TiB2 particles exhibit various shapes such as cubic, triangle and spherical. It was observed that the hardness and porosity of the composites increased with increasing TiB2 content. It was also observed that the production temperature has an important effect on the porosity and hardness of the produced composites. The highest wear resistance was obtained from Al 2014-8% TiB2 composite among the materials tested. It was observed that the production temperature and hardness are effective parameters on wear of produced composites. Evaluation of microstructural and mechanical test results suggest that it would be beneficial to keep the production temperature around 800 degrees C and Al 2014-8% TiB2 composite can be recommended for engineering applications where the hardness and wear resistance are considered to be significant factors.