Application of the Taguchi technique to examine the wear patterns of zircon flour reinforcement in stir-cast zinc aluminium composites

Zircon flour is a strong ceramic reinforcement material that is introduced into the melt of zinc aluminium alloy with weight fractions of 1.5, 3.0, 4.5, and 6.0 wt per cent and subjected to the stir casting process. Samples obtained post-stir casting were investigated for morphology using SEM and EDAX, showing the dispersion of zircon flour particles and chemical composition in stir-cast ZA-27 alloy composites. The effect of porosity and hardness of composites on surface properties like wear resistance and coefficient of friction is discussed. Volume loss (cc) in wear was found using density and weight loss in grams at two extreme values of 15N and 60N and a low sliding speed of 0.25 m/s and a high sliding speed of 1.5 m/s using pin on disc experiment as per ASTM standards taking one factor at a time and then optimized using Taguchi L16 array. Wear map and the worn surface revealed oxide debris, abrasion, and wear scratches.