Effects of Addition of Graphite on the Tribological Behaviour of Al7075-SiC Hybrid Composites Using Design of Experiments

Abstract

Despite the widespread use of Al7075-SiC composites in various engineering applications, their tribological performance remains a subject of interest due to challenges related to friction and wear. This study addresses the need for improved lubrication in such composites by investigating the potential of Al7075-SiC/Graphite hybrid materials. The incorporation of graphite particles, up to 9% by weight, aims to enhance the self-lubricating properties of these composites. Stir casting is employed to fabricate specimens with varying graphite content (3–9% by weight), followed by comprehensive tribological assessments under dry sliding conditions. Factors including sliding distance, load, and graphite composition are systematically evaluated using Taguchi’s optimization techniques, including design of experiments, ANOVA, and regression analyses. Results reveal that the addition of 9% graphite content notably reduces both the coefficient of friction and wear rate. According to the data, sliding distance significantly impacts wear behaviour, followed by the applied load. In contrast, the composition has a 77% impact on the coefficient of friction than load, while the sliding distance has a relatively small impact. As a result, the Al7075-SiC/Graphite composite material demonstrated its suitability as a self-lubricating substance. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024.