Synthesis and air jet erosion wear behavior of aluminum – Al3Ti In-Situ composite

Abstract In the present study, in-situ aluminium-Al3Ti composites have been prepared by the addition of K2TiF6 inorganic salt into molten aluminium in a stir casting furnace. The in-situ composites have been formed at different holding temperatures and with varying amounts of K2TiF6. An air jet erosion set up is used according to ASTM G76 standard to conduct the erosive wear test Add see Fig. 2 a. The erosion is caused by the impact of gas jet with suspended solid particle. The effects of stand-off distance and angle of erodent impingement on the erosion behavior of the composites are studied in detail. The microscopic analyses of the worn-out surfaces are carried out in a scanning electron microscope to understand the erosion mechanism, which governs the material removal. From the test results, it can be concluded that the weight loss is higher at 15° and 30° angles of impingement compared to 60° and 90° angles. Higher material loss is also observed at lower (10 mm) stand-off distance. This is because of the fact that at lower standoff distance the particles travel over smaller distance before hitting the sample surface and hence cause greater momentum transfer per second. This in turn causes higher material loss from the sample. Wear rate is also affected by the size of the Al3Ti phase. The size of this phase is in turn strongly dependent on the wt.% of K2TiF6 salt addition and the holding temperature during casting.