Investigation of AA6063-based metal–matrix composites reinforced with TiO2 dispersoids through digitally assisted techniques for mechanical, tribological, and microstructural characterizations

Aluminum metal–matrix composites (AMMCs) were prepared by dispersing TiO2 dispersoids of different volume fractions into an AA6063 matrix via stir casting and subjected to process–structure correlation studies. Four different samples based on weight ratio were considered herein: 99Al-1TiO2, 97Al-3TiO2, 95Al-5TiO2, and the as-received AA6063. Their mechanical properties namely, microhardness, tensile strength, and tribological behavior, were determined. In addition, the microstructure of the samples was also analysed. It was observed that the addition of 5% TiO2 particles enabled the AA6063 matrix to accommodate a higher strain energy while providing the required driving force to generate dislocations and substructures. Therefore, considering the plastic deformation, the ultimate tensile strength σut increased gradually with the addition of TiO2 (in weight%). The flow curves of the 95Al-5TiO2 sample showed the highest value of σut, whereas the as-received AA6063 matrix exhibited the lowest value. For linear elastic deformation, AA6063 showed the lowest yield strength (σys) as compared to the AMMC samples for all TiO2 weight% values; however, the variation in σys among the AMMC samples was minimal. The microhardness of the samples increased gradually with the addition of TiO2, and the percentage reduction in area at the fracture was largest for 95Al-5TiO2. The Taguchi’s L9 array and variance analysis of the process parameters indicated that the material wear was largely affected by the normal load, followed by weight% of TiO2 and sliding speed. Wear surface characteristics, such as microvoids, delamination, microcracks, and wear debris, were qualitatively observed in all the AMMC samples. The overall strength improvement was attributable to the effects of addition of the dispersoids. During melt solidification, the TiO2 particles surpassed/pinned and hindered the grain growth, resulting in grain-size refinement.