Slurry Erosive Wear Behavior of Forged Al6061-CeO₂-TiO₂ Hybrid Composites

Aluminium alloys are being widely used in naval applications owing to their excellent corrosion resistance and high formability characteristics. One of the most popular naval components is the tarpedo blade which makes use of forged aluminium alloy followed by anodizing surface treatment for corrosion protection. In recent years, there have been few attempts to replace the conventional aluminium alloys by their composites for the tarpedo blade applications. Literature review clearly says that CeO₂ (Ceria) coating on aluminium and aluminium composites enhances their corrosion protection in aggressive marine environment. Further, there are reports suggesting that combination of CeO₂ and TiO₂ do yield better corrosion protection. However, there is no information on the work related to development of hybrid ceramic reinforced aluminium alloy matrices with CeO₂ and TiO₂ as particulate reinforcements for potential naval applications. In the light of above, the present work focuses on the development of novel Al6061-CeO₂-TiO₂ hybrid metal matrix composite by stir casting route followed by hot extrusion with an extrusion ratio of 8:1 at a temperature 550 °C and hot forging at 475 °C. The developed forged hybrid composites and the matrix alloy have been evaluated for microstructure, micro hardness and slurry erosion wear tests as per the ASTM Standards.