Analysis on wear parameters of boron carbide embedded aluminium matrix composites (413/B₄C) using Taguchi technique

Aluminium matrix composites (AMCs) are widely used across a variety of sectors, including electronics, automobiles, aircraft, and offshore, due to their outstanding mechanical properties, including high strength, low weight, and corrosion resistance. However, applications that require high tribological efficiency are challenged by their low wear resistance. The investigation of the statistical approach to the wear properties of 413/B₄C composites is presented. Three, six, and nine percent B₄C-reinforced AMCs were prepared by stir casting. The wear was examined in multiple environments of Sliding Speed, S (1 m/s, 1.5 m/s, and 2 m/s), Sliding Distance, D (500 m, 1000 m, and 1500 m), applied load, L (15 N, 30 N, and 45 N), and reinforcement %, R (3, 6 and 9%). The L₂₇ Orthogonal array (OA) was chosen to assess responses such as SWR & COF, and Taguchi's approach was implemented to optimise the wear factors. Further, by selecting the "smaller is better" feature, analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to analyse the impact of input factors on wear performance. According to this investigation, the most appropriate SWR values are S-1 m/s, D-1000 m, L-45 N, and R%-9 wt. % B₄C and the optimal values of COF are S-2 m/s, D-500 m, L-15 N, and R%-3 wt% B₄C. Applications that demand high wear resistance and low friction can benefit from the optimised performance characteristics of premixed reinforcement composite materials.