Taguchi optimization of hardness and wear characteristics of Co–Cr reinforced bronze hybrid composites fabricated by powder metallurgy

Abstract

Abstract All manufacturing sectors, especially mechanical engineering, depend heavily on copper alloys. The goal of this research is to create hybrid bronze composites by adding particles as reinforcements to improve the mechanical and wear characteristics of bronze. Bronze served as the study’s basis material, while cobalt (Co) and chromium (Cr) reinforcing particles were chosen at concentrations of 5% and 5%, respectively, utilizing particular contrasting parameters, such as speed of ball mill (230, 260, 290, and 320 rpm), mixing time (10, 20, 30, and 40 min), compaction pressure (450, 550, 650, and 750 MPa), and sintering time (2, 4, 6, and 8 h), composites were created utilizing the Powder Metallurgy (PM) process. An L16 Taguchi experimental framework was adopted to analyze the influence of process variables on material performance. The findings showed a strong relationship between the composites’ hardness and mixing time. The sintering time parameter was significantly impacted by the wear reduction rate. The current investigation found that the lowest wear rates were 0.147 mm 3 /m, and the greatest hardness value was 157 VHN. The wear samples that showed decreased strength had a variety of structural flaws, including pits, cracks, delamination, voids, and cusps, which were clearly visible in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images.