Experimental Investigation of Friction and Wear Properties of a Clutch Facing Made of Al-7075 with Basalt Fiber Metal Matrix Composite

This paper investigates the friction and wear behavior of Al-7075 and Basalt fiber metal matrix composite for clutch facing applications by replacing the existing asbestos with Basalt fiber combination. Experiments are done to evaluate the friction and wear properties of Al-7075 and Basalt fiber metal matrix composite material under different sliding velocities and contact loads. The reinforcement percentage of Basalt fiber is varied from 0% to 10% in steps of 2.5% on the weight basis. At present, the clutch facing for the Multi Utility Vehicles (MUV) is made of asbestos as a primary content and its hazardous characteristics are taken into consideration. Initially, the clutch facing specifications of a MUV are observed through field studies and then, design calculations are performed to prepare the structural analysis using ANSYS workbench. The stress–strain characteristics of Al-7075 and Basalt fiber mixture are studied through the computational analysis before the fabrication process. Then, the specimen is fabricated by stir casting technique for the experimental investigation of friction and wear properties using pin-on-disk apparatus. The outcome of the analysis has revealed the use of Al-7075 and Basalt fiber metal matrix composite material as a replacement for the existing clutch facing applications and the results are presented with validations.