Development and characterization of AA5083 reinforced with SiC and Al₂O₃ particles by friction stir processing

In this work, friction stir process (FSP) was performed to enhance the surface properties of the aluminum alloy 5083 by incorporating SiC of 6 μm average size, Al₂O₃ of 3 μm average size and mixture of SiC/Al₂O₃ particles in the alloy. Tensile tests, Vickers micro hardness measurements, wear tests, and optical and scanning electron microscopies (SEM) examination were conducted on the surface of Aluminum alloy 5083 to analyze the processed zones of composite samples. Results of tensile tests revealed that ultimate tensile strength of 120 MPa was obtained at 600 rpm. The average hardness increased by 30% with increasing the content of ceramic particles and the maximum hardness values obtained for the hybrid surface composite (50% Al₂O₃ and 50% SiC) developed by 2 passes FSP and processing parameters of 600 rpm. The addition of ceramic powder (SiC) as a reinforcement into AA5083 improved the wear resistance of the received AA5083 by 40%. Hybrid composite of 50% SiC and 50% Al₂O₃ exhibited a superior wear resistance compared to the 100% SiC or 100% Al₂O₃ at a normal load of 20 N.