Paper Title
Processing And Wear Behavior Of Al2o3 Particulates Reinforced Al-4.5 % Cu Alloy Composites

Abstract
High strength Al-4.5 wt. % of Cu alloy matrix composites with 2 and 4 wt. % of Al2O3 particulates reinforced composites were synthesized by stir casting method. Microstructural analyses of Al-Cu alloy composites were performed by using optical microscopy. Microstructural characterization of the developed Al-Cu-Al2O3 composites revealed uniform distribution of micro size Al2O3 particulates in the base matrix. The wear resistance of metal matrix composites was studied by performing dry sliding wear test using a pin on disc apparatus. The experiments were conducted at a constant sliding velocity of 1.413m/sec and sliding distance of 2000m over a varying load of 10N, 20N, 30N and 40N. Similarly experiments were conducted at a constant load of 30N and sliding distance of 2000m over a varying sliding speed of 0.942, 1.413 and 1.884 m/sec. The results showed that the wear resistance of Al-Cu-2%Al2O3 and 4% Al2O3 composites were better than the unreinforced alloy. The wear in terms of height loss was found to increase with the load and sliding velocity. To study the dominant sliding wear mechanism for various test conditions, the worn surfaces were analyzed using optical microscopy. Keywords- Al-Cu Alloy, Al2O3Particulates, Wear, Worn Surface, Metal Matrix Composites.