Machining characteristics,wear and corrosion behavior of AZ91 magnesium alloy - fly ash composites produced by friction stir processing

In the present work, fine grained AZ91 magnesium alloy – fly ash composite has been successfully fabricated by friction stir processing. Microhardness measurements show marginally higher hardness with uniform distribution compared with the base material. No significant difference in the mean cutting force was observed during drilling of the base metal and the composite. However, lower cutting forces were recorded in the sub-surface region of the composites. Interestingly, decreased corrosion resistance was noticed for the composite compared with the base material. Lower mass loss has been observed for the composite during reciprocating wear experiments. The results strongly suggest that the surface composite of AZ91 magnesium alloy – fly ash exhibits better mechanical and wear properties. However, decreased corrosion resistance is a significant observation that warns the applicability of these composites in corroding environment.     

Comparative analysis of wear behavior of garnet and fly ash reinforced Al7075 hybrid composite

Al7075 hybrid composites reinforced with varying weight percentage (0 wt.%, 5 wt.%, 10 wt.%, 15 wt.%) of each of garnet and fly ash were fabricated and characterized for their comparative wear assessment. The sliding wear test was conducted on a reciprocating tribometer in dry medium under the working conditions of applied normal load (2 N, 4 N, 6 N, 8 N), sliding velocities (0.04 m/s, 0.08 m/s, 0.12 m/s, 0.16 m/s), sliding distance (20 m, 40 m, 60 m, 80 m) and working temperature (25 °C, 50 °C, 75 °C, 100 °C). The experiments were performed as per steady‐state condition and Taguchi (L₂₅) orthogonal array design to evaluate specific wear rate of the Al7075 hybrid composites. The finding of results indicated that the wear rate was decreased with the increase in the filler content in both the case of garnet and fly ash reinforced Al7075 hybrid composites. The results from Taguchi experiments suggested that the filler content and load were the most significant factors affecting wear behavior of composites while temperature and sliding distance are the least significant factors. Also, the garnet reinforced Al7075 hybrid composite indicated less specific wear rate as compared to that of fly ash reinforced Al7075 hybrid composite.     

3D graphene/fly ash waste material for hybrid supercapacitor electrode: specific capacitance analysis

The performance of supercapacitor energy storage is depending on the type of the material that is used as supercapacitor electrode. Graphene has been widely used as the base material for a lot of applications due to its remarkable properties. In this research, we try to combine 3D Graphene with waste material fly ash to be used as the electrode of supercapacitor. Fly ash is a residual material from burning pulverized coal in electric generation power plants which contain metal oxide materials such as iron oxide and aluminum oxide. This residual material might be usable as an electrode for supercapacitor due to its material contained. As the base material, the 3D graphene was successfully fabricated by using low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) method and afterwards the fly ash was coated on the top of 3D graphene. The chemical properties and surface structure of the electrode material was studied by using Raman spectroscopy and field emission scanning electron spectroscopy (FESEM). 3 electrode systems were used to analyze the cyclic voltammetry results. According to the results, they show that the highest specific capacitance of 3D graphene/fly ash (FA) was about 0.025 F/cm2 at the lowest scan rate of 5 mV/s and it is recommended to use as the supercapacitor electrode.     

Investigation on mechanical properties and tribological behaviour of stir cast LM13 aluminium alloy based particulate hybrid composites

LM13 aluminium alloy with boron carbide (0 wt.%–7.5 wt.%) and fly ash (2.5 wt.%) reinforced particulate hybrid composites were fabricated using liquid metallurgy route. Microstructure and mechanical properties viz., hardness, ultimate tensile strength and ductility were investigated. Wear behaviour of composites was tested by varying sliding distance and load. Fracture surface and worn surface of composites were examined using field emission scanning electron microscope. Microstructure of hybrid composites revealed uniform dispersion of particles in LM13 aluminium alloy. Hardness and tensile strength of composites increased with increasing wt.% of boron carbide and fly ash particles. Wear test results showed that addition of particles significantly decreased the weight loss and coefficient of friction. Also cumulative weight loss decreased up to 47.2 % for 10 wt.% of hybrid composites as compared to LM13 aluminium alloy. Fracture surface of composites showed dimples with particle cracking on the surface. Worn surface of LM13 aluminium alloy showed continuous grooves due to ploughing with delamination. However, worn surface of composites showed fine grooves due to the presence of hard reinforcements on the surface. Boron carbide and fly ash reinforced LM13 aluminium hybrid composites exhibited superior mechanical properties with excellent wear resistance as compared to LM13 aluminium alloy.     

Physico‐mechanical characterization of garnet and fly ash reinforced Al7075 hybrid composite

The aim of present work was to study the effect of adding garnet and fly ash on the physical and mechanical performance of Al7075 hybrid composites. Al7075 hybrid composites reinforced with varying weight percentage (0 wt.%–15 wt.%) of each of garnet and fly ash were fabricated and characterized for the comparative assessment of their physical and mechanical properties. The physical and mechanical tests such as void content test, hardness test, tensile strength test, impact strength tests, flexural and fracture toughness test were performed for both garnet and fly ash reinforced composites. The finding of results indicated that the addition of 0 wt.%–15 wt.% of garnet increased the void content, hardness, flexural strength, tensile strength, impact strength and fracture toughness in the range of 1.01 %–2.69 %, 33 HRB–88 HRB, 165 MPa–275 MPa, 205 MPa–263 MPa, 12 J–22 J and 0.11 MPa ? m^1/2–0.58 MPa ? m^1/2 at crack length 0.1 respectively whereas addition of 0 wt.%–15 wt.% of fly ash increased the void content, hardness test, flexural strength, tensile strength, impact strength and fracture toughness in the range of 1.010 %–1.351 %, 33 HRB‐80 HRB, 165 MPa–225 MPa, 205 MPa–236 MPa, 12 J–20 J, 0.11 MPa ? m^1/2–0.48 MPa ? m^1/2 at crack length 0.1 respectively. Apart from the economic concern and void issue, Garnet indicated better choice of reinforcement as compared to fly ash in terms of mechanical properties.     

Effect of granite flour proportion on the strength properties of geopolymer mortar based on fly ash

Given global trends and challenges, the development of binders for the production of geopolymer concretes has become a topical area of building science. The purpose of this study is to determine whether granite can replace traditional construction aggregate, such as river sand, during geopolymer production, as well as to demonstrate the effect of the proportion of granite flour on the strength properties of fly ash-based geopolymer mortar. A combination of granite flour, quartz sand, and fly ash in various proportions was used as an aluminosilicate precursor. The scope of the study includes density measurements, compressive and flexural strength tests, abrasion by the Boehme method, and microstructural observations. Based on the obtained results, it can be concluded that granite can be successfully used as a replacement for quartz sand during the production of fly ash-based geopolymers. Moreover, the addition of granite makes it possible to improve the strength properties of geopolymers, compared to a geopolymer composite containing quartz sand.     

Effect of lamina orientation,crack severity,and fillers on dynamic parameters of hybrid composite cantilever beam with double transverse cracks

Modern-day research in composite material development primarily focuses on tailoring combinations by proportions of constituent materials and monitoring the changes in their targeted properties. In line with this trend, a new class of glass fiber reinforced polymer hybrid composite beam of size 600 mm×50 mm×6 mm is fabricated by adding graphene (average particle size:10 μm), and flyash (average particle size: 60 μm). The dynamic behavior of the hybrid beam by introducing two transverse cracks at different positions with varying crack depths is studied by employing analytical, finite-element, and experimental approaches. The dimensionless relative natural frequencies of the cracked/faulty hybrid beam obtained by the proposed methods are compared with the intact hybrid beam. Also, a comparison is made for the hybrid beam with a single crack. An increase in relative crack depth resulted in an increase in values of dimensionless compliances. Further, the effect of fiber orientation and lamina stacking sequence on the dynamic parameters of the hybrid beam are also analyzed. The introduction of the second crack induces higher nonlinearity in bending modes of vibration.