Manufacture of Self-Lubricating Mechanical Parts from Al-Si Alloy Matrix Hybrid Nanocomposites

Abstract

Research is still being done to find solutions to the wear,abrasion and moving mechanical parts problems that persist. Production of moving and stationary parts, particularly those made of Al-Si alloy, due to their characteristics, which need for constant development. In this work, self-lubricating nano-additives were used in the manufacturing process. It was used powder metallurgy technique to fabricate the base alloy and hybrid nanocomposites. Next, by mechanically mixing (MoS2) and Boron nitride (BN) in nanometer scale-level quantities as hybrid additives, 2, 4, and 6wt% were added. This was followed by pressing the mixture into a 10 mm-diameter steel mold without the use of heat. After pressing, the resultant samples are sintered at a temperature of up to 560 C0 in a tube furnace that is kept free of oxygen. Argon, an inert gas that inhibits reactions, is used to protect all of these samples. The generated samples underwent to wear and abrasion tests, the resulting grains underwent analysis, and a scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to study the surface microstructure and topography of worn samples. The results showed that the parts made with hybrid nano-additives have higher friction and wear resistances than that of the base (Al-Si)alloy. They also exhibited refine microstructure, high hardness values, and less weight loss during wear tesing. However, the addition percentage must not go above 6%. Friable phases develop in the microstructure, and it cannot pass wear testing. © 2025 Published by Faculty of Engineering.