A Novel Development and Experimentation on Lightweight Aluminium 6061-T6 Alloy as a Promising Ship Building Material Using Bio Reinforcement

Abstract

In this research paper, the novel development of the Hybrid Aluminium 6061 Matrix Composites (HAMC) is processed, and their mechanical properties, tribological and corrosion behaviour is examined as per the standards. The economical stir casting technique is utilized for reinforcing different proportions of Boron Nitride (B.N.), Prosopis Juli flora Ash (P.J.A.), and graphite (C) into the Al 6061 alloy. Further, the casted composites were characterized through the influence of Scanning Electron Microscopy (S.E.M.) for validating the surface morphology of the composite lamina. The mechanical test data revealed that the Al6061-0BN-20PJA-5C composite has a decent tensile strength (219 MPa) and ductility (14.9%) due to the lesser amount of B.N. content along with the majority of Al matrix phase. The composite Al6061-15BN-5PJA-5C was found to have the highest compressive strength (317 MPa) of the reinforced samples but lower than that of the base Al 6061 alloy castings due to the brittle nature of the reinforcements. The impact strength was maximum for Al6061-0BN-20PJA-5C of 22 J³ due to the absence of BN and higher Al matrix phase.  On the other hand, the density was tailored by reinforcing the low density P.J.A. than that of the base Al 6061 alloy. The fair distributions of the hard structured B.N. with P.J.A. in the Al matrix phase have promoted the maximum microhardness value (231 HV) and better wear resistance for Al6061-15BN-5PJA-5C composite. The validation of the worn-out lamina was done through the S.E.M. after the wear test, and the significant wear phenomenon is identified as adhesive wear. From the Tafel plot of the potentiodynamic polarization test, it was observed that the corrosion potential was higher for the Al6061-0BN-20PJA-5C composite -0.278± 0.005V with a lower current density of -1.2 ± 0.012µA/cm² than the other reinforced composites and base Al alloy.

Cite as:

S. Gopinath, M. Prince, & G.R. Raghav. (2023). A Novel Development and Experimentation on Lightweight Aluminium 6061-T6 Alloy as a Promising Ship Building Material Using Bio Reinforcement. Journal of Advanced Research in Industrial Engineering, 5(3), 18–38. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10354748