Surface Modification of Aluminum 6068 Using Friction Stir Processing for Enhancing the Mechanical and Tribological Properties
摘要
The friction stir processing (FSP) technique enables the creation of multifunctional features in aluminum alloys, which are one of the preferred materials with steadily rising demands in the industrial sectors. A substantial amount of attention has been paid to surface modification methods in the area of materials science in order to improve the mechanical and tribological characteristics of a variety of materials. In this research paper, we investigate the surface modification of Aluminum 6068 by reinforcing silicon carbide (SiC) particles using the FSP technique. The modified surface is characterized using various analytical techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and tensile testing. The results demonstrate that the incorporation of SiC particles through FSP significantly improves the microhardness, wear resistance, and strength properties of the aluminum alloy. This research work aims to experimentally analyze the microstructural and mechanical properties of a workpiece during 1 pass top friction stir processing (SPTFSP) and 3 pass top stir processing (TPTFSP) containing groves and holes (random and sequentially oriented) on the upper surface of Aluminum Alloy 6068 using SiC to fill these holes and grooves. This research investigation is performed on a super-classical traditional turret milling machine. This paper also shows that the presence of silicon (0.2–0.3%) can provide high ultimate tensile strength. In this paper, a number of experiments are carried out to obtain optimum mechanical properties and a better microstructure under different rotational speeds and tool travel speeds.