Fabrication and Characterization of Sn-Based Babbitt Alloy Nanocomposite Reinforced with Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> Nanoparticles/Carbon Steel Bimetallic Material

oleh: Mohamed Ramadan, Abdulaziz S. Alghamdi, Tayyab Subhani, K. S. Abdel Halim

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2020-06-01

Deskripsi

Sn-based Babbitt alloy was reinforced with alumina nanoparticles to prepare a novel class of nanocomposites. The route of liquid metallurgy in combination with stirring mechanism was chosen to prepare nanocomposites with three different loadings of alumina nanoparticles, i.e., 0.25 wt%, 0.50 wt% and 1.0 wt%. The molten mixture of metallic matrix and nanoparticles was poured over carbon steel substrate for solidification to manufacture a bimetallic material for bearing applications. The underlying aim was to understand the effect of nanoparticle addition on microstructural variation of Sn-based Babbitt alloy as well as bimetallic microstructural interface. The addition of 0.25 wt% and 0.50 wt% alumina nanoparticles significantly affected both the morphology and distribution of Cu<sub>6</sub>Sn<sub>5</sub> hard phase in solid solution, which changed from needle and asterisk shape to spherical morphology. Nanocomposites containing up to 0.50 wt% nanoparticles showed more improvement in tensile strength than the one containing 1.0 wt% nanoparticles, due to nanoparticle-agglomeration and micro-cracks at the interface. The addition of 0.5 wt% nanoparticles significantly improved the wear resistance of Sn-based Babbitt alloy.