Effect of Reinforcement of SiC and Aging Treatment on the Hardness and Wear Property of AA 2014 using GTA as a Heat Source

Abstract The objective of this work is to improve the hardness and reduce the wear rate of AA 2014 by reinforcing Silicon Carbide (SiC) onto the surface of the base material using Gas Tungsten Arc (GTA) as a heat source. Reduction of hardness on the base metal is observed after the application of heat using optimum process parameter. SiC particles of size 106 µm are deposited onto the surface of AA 2014. In order to improve the properties, the alloy is heat treated which includes solution treatment, water quenching and artificial aging. The Microhardness of the SiC reinforced and aged AA 2014 is found to be 35% more than that of the base material. Wear tests were conducted and found that the wear rate is reduced by 75% for the SiC reinforced AA 2014 surface when compared to the base metal. Characterization techniques like SEM, EDX and XRD are done to know the presence of SiC onto the surface of AA 2014 and the same is confirmed.