Investigation of Mechanical Properties, Fretting Wear, and Corrosion Behaviour of AA6063/Si3N4 Nanocomposites Fabricated via Friction Stir Processing

Abstract

With the increasing demand for lightweight and high-strength materials, aluminium alloy composites have shown promising properties for structural applications. This work investigates the fabrication of AA6063/Si₃N₄ nanocomposites through the friction stir processing (FSP) route. The study evaluates the effect of the volume fraction of Si₃N₄ on the mechanical properties, fretting wear, and corrosion behaviour of the aluminium composite. The microstructure, distribution of the reinforcement, and phase changes were characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy images and X-ray diffraction. The results indicate that the FSP route is an effective method for producing AA6063/Si₃N₄ nanocomposites which exhibit improved mechanical properties and wear resistance compared to the base material. Additionally, the corrosion resistance of the composite was found to be enhanced to that of the base material. In comparison with the base material, a significant improvement of 81% in hardness and 47.2% in tensile strength was observed in the 10% Si₃N₄ AMC. These findings demonstrate the potential for using FSP to produce high-performance nanocomposites for various industrial applications.